


Innocents

by fhsa_archivist



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Alternate Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-05-29
Updated: 2004-07-16
Packaged: 2019-02-05 15:57:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 30,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12797739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fhsa_archivist/pseuds/fhsa_archivist
Summary: What right did that rat bastard have to children? NOTES: Elainegave me this bunny. Damn her! Thanks to Zou, Amazon, and Finn for helpwith names. And special thanks to Ursula and Finn for the laughter andrewriting of my childhood icon. Thanks to Bill for the beta.





	1. Innocents

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Haven, the archivist: This story was originally archived at [Fandom Haven Story Archive (FHSA)](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Fandom_Haven_Story_Archive), was scheduled to shut down at the end of 2016. To preserve the archive, I began working with the OTW to transfer the stories to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in November 2017. If you are this creator and the work hasn't transferred to your AO3 account, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Fandom Haven Story Archive collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/fhsa/profile).

Skinner looked through the pictures he'd been handed. The young woman was

pretty, petite, blond, feminine; she'd look good on his arm, no doubt

about that. He put it aside and studied the pictures of the boys. 

 

The bigger of the two was holding on tightly to his smaller brother's

hand as they waited by the ice cream cart. Both boys had black hair. He

couldn't see the eyes well in the photograph but he'd be willing to bet

they were green. Neither child seemed to look much like their mother. 

 

Going on to the next picture, he was amazed to say the least. He didn't

think he'd ever seen a genuine smile on that handsome face; smirks yes,

smiles, no. Looking at the picture, he felt his anger rise. What right did

that rat bastard have to children? 

 

He looked up at Frohike. "Give me the gist, I'll read it all later." 

 

"The woman's name is Summer Paine. She's an orphan, but some savvy

lawyers who pay her bills and give her an allowance are administering the

family money. She won't be allowed to take over until her thirtieth

birthday." 

 

"She's in her twenties?" 

 

"Twenty-four." 

 

"How old are the boys?" 

 

"They're four almost five." 

 

"They're twins?" 

 

"Yes, just not identical." 

 

"So, the Rat has added seducing young girls to his bag of tricks." 

 

"Looks that way. Every time he's come to see you he goes there to see

them. Normally, he stays a couple of days. And it appears that she

welcomes him to her bed when he shows up and kisses him goodbye with tears

each time." 

 

"She's probably in love with the bastard. What about the boys?" 

 

"He spends a lot of time with them when he visits. Playing games in the

yard, taking them to see the latest kids movies. He appears very

affectionate with them and they seem to love him. There is no sign that he

mistreats them or their mother. We even hacked into the pediatrician's

records. No injuries other than the kind boys that age usually sustain." 

 

"I wonder what excuse he gives her for being away so much?" 

 

"Women in love tend to put up with a lot from the men they have children

with. You might want to be sitting when you read the boys names." 

 

"What?" Walter shuffled though the papers in the file finding the copies

of birth certificates. An explosive breath pushed out the expletive,

"Fuck!" 

 

"Yeah, my thought exactly." 

 

"Maybe they're family names." 

 

"Not any we found. Her father's name was Norman Henry. I suppose they

could be family names on Krycek's side but I doubt it." 

 

"But why the fuck would he name his sons for me?" 

 

"Hell if I know. Why don't you ask him the next time he shows up?" 

 

"I'll do that. Anything else I should know?" 

 

"I don't think so. What are you going to do?" 

 

"I have no idea. I didn't expect innocents to be involved." 

 

"You know he might have genuine feelings for them." 

 

"Krycek? You must be kidding. He's a user. There has to be some ulterior

motive." 

 

"We couldn't turn up any links between her and the Consortium. And he

keeps everything concerning them way under the radar. We wouldn't have

found any of this if Jimmy hadn't followed him the last time he was here."

 

 

"I don't buy the good father routine." 

 

"We've set automatic tracking on them. I'll let you know if we get

anything else." 

 

"Thanks, Melvin." 

 

They shook hands and Frohike left him alone. He looked through all the

pictures, again studying the ones of Krycek with his sons. Picking up the

birth certificates, he read the names once more, Walter Nikolai and

Alexander Sergei. 

 

What had been in the prick's mind when he did that? For that matter, why

had he been stupid enough to have children? He knew how the Consortium

used people's families against them. 

 

He read through all the information the gunmen had ferreted out for him,

then locked it away in his safe. It was two weeks later that Byers called

him. 

 

"Skinner." 

 

"It's John Byers, AD Skinner." 

 

"Hello, John. I assume you have more information for me." 

 

"Yes, Sir. Summer Paine had a doctor's appointment yesterday." 

 

"Is she okay?" 

 

"She's fine. It appears Krycek is about to become a father again." 

 

"What?" 

 

"The report says she is about eight weeks pregnant. That would coincide

with Krycek's last visit wouldn't it?" 

 

"Almost to the minute. I can't believe this. The bastard is insane." 

 

"Maybe he doesn't know. She wouldn't be the only woman in history to get

pregnant without her partner's knowledge." 

 

Skinner didn't want to admit that Byers had a point. The pictures alone

had caused him to start thinking of Krycek as a person once again,

bringing back memories of the freshfaced boy who had come into his office

looking ridiculously beautiful in the cheap suits. Then later the 'boy'

had mutated from 'young and fresh' into 'deadly and sexy' in tight white

tee shirts and black leather. 

 

Away in the back of his mind was a small voice told him he was jealous -

jealous because he wanted that fine body in his bed. He refused to listen

to that voice; refused to admit that he wanted what he shouldn't. 

 

It was three weeks later that Krycek appeared on his doorstep. Skinner

took one look at the man, stepped back and allowed him to enter without

voicing his usual insults. Krycek looked at him with a puzzled expression,

but sank down onto the sofa without a word. 

 

"You look like you've been ridden hard and put away wet, Krycek. Want

something eat? Drink?" 

 

"Who are you and where is Walter Skinner?" 

 

"Don't sass me, boy. Answer my questions." 

 

"I could use both." 

 

"Beer? Vodka?" 

 

"A coke would be fine. I have to drive when I leave here. Don't want me

breaking the law now, do you?" 

 

Skinner didn't rise to the bait, nor the smirk. Going into the kitchen,

he grabbed a can of soda and took it back. Handing it to Krycek, he

watched as Alex popped the top one handed. Without a word he went back

into the kitchen and opened the freezer. Pulling out a container of his

homemade soup, he put it into the microwave to heat. 

 

As that was heating, he took the loaf of bread from the bread machine and

sliced off several thick pieces. By the time the microwave beeped, he had

the table set. Going to the door he called out. 

 

"Krycek, come eat." 

 

He almost smiled as Krycek slipped past him with wary eyes. Sitting

quickly Alex watched as Skinner ladled out the soup. The aroma reached him

and he knew this wasn't from a can. 

 

"Smells good, Skinner. Did you cook this yourself?" 

 

"Yes. I don't have a lot of time for cooking during the week, so I

usually prepare several things I can freeze on the weekend. Soup is one of

the quickest to heat. Want another soda?" 

 

"I'd rather have tea or coffee if you have either." 

 

"Am I going to need coffee?" 

 

Krycek reached into his jacket, pulled out a slender case containing a

CD, and slid it across the table to Skinner. 

 

"Tell them the password is Sexy Lexy. I got it from a woman with the hots

for that bald guy on TV." 

 

Skinner got up, left the room with the CD but was soon back. He put the

kettle on and pulled a variety package of tea from the cupboard. He

noticed that Alex had yet to touch his soup. 

 

"It's not laced with poison or anything." To prove his point he took his

own spoon, dipped it in Krycek's bowl and ate the still warm soup. 

 

"It's not that. I was taught that it's bad manners to start eating

without your host." 

 

"Ah, I see." 

 

He said nothing more; just placed a cup next to Alex's plate and dug into

his own dinner, as he waited for the kettle to whistle. They ate in

silence until Walter asked Alex if he wanted more, Alex nodded briefly. 

 

He couldn't browbeat Alex when he was eating as if he hadn't had a decent

meal in weeks, while still exercising the kind of manners that Walter

would have sworn he'd never been taught. 

 

After they'd eaten, Krycek insisted on helping clear the table. Then he

hesitated slightly and looked at Skinner with that puzzled look again. 

 

"Guess I'd better be going." 

 

"Is she expecting you?" 

 

The response was quick, but the terror shone in Alex's eyes before he

managed to cover it. 

 

"No one is expecting me. I just figured..." 

 

"I know about Summer and the boys, Krycek." 

 

"Fuck!" Walter watched as Krycek slumped back against the counter. 

 

"Where was your head, boy?" 

 

"You stay the fuck away from them!" 

 

Skinner looked down at the gun that had appeared as if by magic in Alex's

hand. 

 

"Put that away. I've known for over a month. If I had wanted to hurt them

it would have been done by now. Enough innocent people have been chewed up

and spit out by the Consortium. I would have thought you, of all people,

would have known better." 

 

Krycek's head dropped, he was unable to look Skinner in the eyes. He

wasn't sure where the compulsion to confess came from, only that he needed

to trust someone. Putting the gun back as effortlessly as he'd drawn it,

he slumped back down at the table. 

 

"Guess we're going to need that coffee after all." 

 

Skinner nodded, then moved to the cabinet to start the coffeemaker. No

more words were exchanged until they each had a cup of coffee in front of

him. 

 

"Who knows besides you?" 

 

"Mulder and his geeks." 

 

"Shit. They got the info for you?" 

 

"Yes. You let yourself develop a pattern." 

 

Krycek sighed heavily, then pulled a phone from his pocket and dialed a

number. 

 

"Summer, it's me...I won't be there tonight after all...I'll call you

when I can. Hug the boys and give them a big kiss for me. I love

you...Bye." 

 

Skinner had watched him closely as he talked. Krycek had made no move to

turn away. After he disconnected the phone, he locked his eyes with

Skinner. 

 

"What do you want to know?" 

 

"How it happened, why, how you could be so stupid." 

 

"That's it? You don't want me to spread ass in return for your leaving

them alone?" 

 

Alex never saw it coming. One minute he was sitting, the next he was on

the floor, blood running from a split lip. Walter Sergei Skinner stood

over him breathing fire. 

 

Turning on his heel, Skinner stomped from the room. Krycek picked himself

up slowly, walked to the sink, grabbed a paper towel and dabbed at his

lip. When the bleeding stopped, he went to find Skinner. 

 

Walter was sitting in his oversized armchair with a drink in his hand. He

didn't bother to look up as Alex entered the room and sat on the sofa. 

 

"Do they know?" Walter's voice was low and harsh. 

 

"Spender and the others? No." 

 

"How long have you known?" 

 

"That you prefer boys or that you want to fuck me?" Alex kept his voice

steady, no hint of innuendo. 

 

"Both." 

 

"Since the first time I walked into your office." 

 

"Why did you name them after me?" 

 

"I wanted them to have a link with you in case anything happens to Summer

and me." 

 

"What does that mean?" Walter gave him a puzzled look. 

 

"You're a good man, in spite of everything. I know you'd never let them

suffer if you could stop it. You've been listed as legal guardian should

the need arise. The paperwork is on file with her attorneys as well as a

firm they know nothing about." 

 

Walter gulped down his drink and shook his head. "She agreed to this?" 

 

"Yes, she thinks you're my half brother. When her parents died, she was

sent to boarding schools. She doesn't want to chance that happening to our

sons, so she agreed." 

 

"Why would you trust me? Especially without my vow to care for them." 

 

"I know you. You always try to do the right thing. You stand up to

Spender as much as you can and still keep your job. Mulder and Scully may

not know how many times you've kept them alive, but I do. I suspect you

married Sharon to have a family, kids. I know how you treat your brother's

children." Alex's voice was soft and completely serious. 

 

"You think I'm that honorable?" 

 

"Yes. Look, Skinner, I know this is a real bombshell. I never expected to

be talking to you about this. I've made arrangements to protect them.

Summer is young, healthy; this will probably never be an issue. And if

there is any incentive I can offer you, just tell me." 

 

"I suppose if I told you I wanted you to, how did you put it, 'spread

ass', you'd do that?" 

 

Alex's eyes never wavered. "Anything in my power, including that." 

 

The two men stared at each other for a long moment, both searching for

the truth in each other's eyes. Alex was prepared to give anything,

including his life if that was what it took to keep his sons safe. He

wasn't, however, ready to give Skinner the power of knowing that Alex

wanted him. Walter was hoping to see some glimmer of desire. He wanted

Alex in his bed, but not as a whore. He wanted him as his lover. 

 

Finally, Walter's eyes dropped, a soft sigh escaping his lips. Had he

looked back up at that moment, he would have seen the longing on Alex's

face. But instead he rose and went to pour another drink. 

 

"Just keep doing what you can for our side. I give you my word that

should the need arise I will care for them as though they were my own." 

 

Alex got to his feet, walked over to stand behind Walter, reaching out to

place his hand on Walter's shoulder, he aborted the move when Walter

straightened his spine. 

 

"Thank you, Skinner." 

 

"Go, see your family." 

 

"Yeah." 

 

Walter didn't turn as the door opened and closed softly. He spent the

rest of the night getting quietly drunk and by dawn had convinced himself

that Krycek had played him once more. 

 

That weekend he started to watch Krycek's family. He learned Summer's

routine, took copious pictures of the boys. And he prayed that they would

never have to know the truth about the Rat who'd sired them. 

 

A week after Krycek's visit, he received a thick package of legal

paperwork, along with keys to several safety deposit boxes in various

cities. He went over everything carefully. Every contingency seemed, to

have been accounted for, including some scenarios that only Krycek and

Mulder paranoia would have thought of. 

 

There was even a stipulation that Skinner would need to submit to a blood

test before taking custody of the boys. That was something the mother

would never have thought of, but a knowledgeable triple agent would. 

 

Once more Walter began to wonder if he was allowing the past to color his

perception of the situation. A few weeks later he was to get his next

indication that possibly he was. 

 

Walter was sitting in the park where Summer normally took the kids on

Saturday afternoons when the weather was nice. He'd made no contact; in

fact he'd taken great care to avoid their even seeing him. 

 

He saw their car pull into the parking lot, and was surprised to see Alex

get out of the driver's side. As he watched, Alex's eyes scanned the park,

a small smile appeared on his lips when he spotted Walter. He then opened

the back door to get one of his sons out of the car. 

 

Alex led his family toward Walter. When they got near, Alex flashed him

that big smile. 

 

"Walter, you're early. I hadn't even told them you were meeting us here.

Summer, boys, this is Walter, my brother." 

 

Summer moved forward and held out her hand. "Walter, it's so nice to meet

you. I feel I know you from all that Alex has told me." 

 

Walter gave Alex a sardonic smile as he took her hand and, leaning down,

he brushed her cheek with his lips. "It's good to meet you at last." 

 

The smaller of the two boys reached out to touch Walter's hand, and when

he looked down, the boy announced. "I'm Walter, too." 

 

"Yes, I know. I'm very glad to meet all of you at last." He waited to let

Alex give him a clue about a cover story. 

 

"Now that Walter's moved closer I hope he can spend time with you guys

when I can't be here. Does Uncle Walter want to help push his nephews on

the swings?" 

 

"I think I can arrange that. Should I call you little Walter?" 

 

"Mom and Dad call me Walt." 

 

"Then Walt it is. So does that make you Al?" 

 

"Dad calls me Sasha." 

 

"Then Sasha it shall be." 

 

Summer took a seat near-by and watched as the boys proceeded to exhaust

the men. Walter insisted on buying them all dinner at a small caf nearby.

When they parted later, he went home experiencing a feeling that he

suddenly realized was happiness. 

 

During the course of the next three months, he met Summer and the boys at

the park every Saturday afternoon. Playing uncle was not a new role for

him, so it was easy to spend time with the boys. He'd found them both to

be intelligent, happy, normal children. 

 

Walter would have been lying if he said he didn't enjoy even more, the

afternoons Alex joined them. He'd watched Summer's growing waistline and

celebrated with her when the sonogram showed she was carrying a girl. 

 

Alex was feeling more content as well. He'd seen the growing attachment

between Walter and his children, and that eased a concern he'd felt since

he'd first learned that he was going to be a father. He hadn't been happy

when Summer told him she was pregnant again. But with Walter's growing

relationship to them, he'd stopped worrying and was pleased at the idea of

a little girl to spoil. 

 

Autumn was fast approaching and the park gave way to a gymboree. They

would also attend an occasional movie or Walter would have dinner with

them. Alex was still showing up at his door at odd hours with bits and

pieces of information. The two men were forging a friendship of sorts. 

 

But all things end, and the biggest ends seem to come when you let down

your guard. 

 

Walter woke with a jerk, some noise alerting him to a presence in his

bedroom. Light flooded the room as the lamp was switched on. The point of

a knife was pressed to his throat. He blinked as his eyes fought to

adjust. He looked at Alex sitting on the edge of the bed next to him, and

knew in his gut that something had gone dreadfully wrong. 

 

"Alex?" 

 

Looking into Alex's eyes, he saw a man on the edge. And that edge had

resulted in the knife held to his throat. He stayed perfectly still and

waited for Alex to speak. 

 

"Are you Walter?" 

 

"Of course, I am. Alex what happened?" 

 

In answer the blade pressed into his neck He felt his blood flow, the

knife dropped and a towel was pressed to the small wound. It was bad,

whatever had happened. 

 

"She's dead, Walter. They did a Sharon Tate on her." 

 

Walter held tight to his fears. "The boys?! Alex where are the boys?" 

 

"They're in the car." 

 

Walter scrambled off the bed, ripped Alex's pocket slightly in his haste

to get the keys. He left Alex sitting there as he ran, barefoot and

shirtless, to find the car. It was in a guest space in the parking garage

near his own. Walter's heart was in his throat as opened the door. 

 

Walt and Sasha were curled up together on the back seat, sound asleep. He

managed to gather them up without waking them, and headed back up to his

apartment. Putting them gently on the sofa, he covered them with a light

blanket and went back to his bedroom. 

 

Alex was sitting exactly as he had left him. Kneeling in front of Alex,

he reached for his hand. That's when the shaking started. 

 

"Come on, Alex, let's get you under the covers." 

 

Alex made no sound as his jacket and boots were removed. He stood when

Walter told him, then crawled into the bed. 

 

"Stay right here. I'm going to make you some tea." 

 

In the kitchen, he put the kettle on the stove and picked up the phone.

It was answered on the second ring. 

 

"Mulder." 

 

"Mulder, it's Skinner." 

 

"What's wrong?" 

 

"I need Scully here with her medical bag and I need you to go check out

Summer Paine's house." 

 

"Shit! Krycek with you?" 

 

"Yeah, he's here with the boys. He said they did a Sharon Tate to her, so

I'm sure she's dead." Walter's voice was grim. 

 

To his credit Mulder didn't waste any time on meaningless conversation.

"Scully will be there soon. I'll process the scene myself." 

 

"Keep it quiet as long as you can, Mulder. Call me when you have

anything." 

 

"I'll do that." 

 

Walter disconnected the call and turned to make a mug of tea. Carrying

it, he took a deep breath. Time to deal with Alex if possible, or just

keep him calm until Scully arrived with a hypo. Alex was lying on his side

in a fetal position, trembling so hard the bed was shaking. 

 

Walter set the tea down, then crawled into the bed behind the shaking man

and wrapped his arms around him. Alex pushed back, welcoming the safety

the strong arms offered. Walter didn't expect it but Alex started to talk.

 

 

"I never really loved her. I wanted to. I really did. I met her at a bar

one night and she was so beautiful. She invited me home and I went. I

shouldn't have gone back." 

 

"But you did and now we have to keep those boys on my sofa safe. Why did

you go back?" 

 

"She was fresh, clean, everything I'd long ago stopped believing was

possible. I needed that. I never intended to let it go on. I figured I'd

be dead in a year, maybe less. Then she got pregnant." 

 

"Weren't you using protection?" 

 

"Yes, but it's not one hundred percent. To be honest, I accused her of

doing it on purpose. Her face gave her away, but by then it was too late

to abort them. And the first time I held them, I was glad they were mine.

Part of me felt that it was destined." 

 

"She believed you loved her." 

 

"Really? That's good. I loved that she gave me sons. I would have never

mistreated her for that reason alone. But I couldn't truly love her. And

I'm not sure why." 

 

"Do you want to tell me about today?" 

 

A whimper slipped from Alex's throat, so Walter tightened his hold. When

Alex spoke again, his voice was dead. Walter knew that he'd shut down as

much as he could to be able to relate it. Love or not, finding the mother

of your children cut up had to be a terrible experience. 

 

"I took the boys out to a movie. Summer had been tired lately, trying to

keep up with two lively boys and being pregnant, so I told her to stay

home and have an afternoon for her." 

 

The last was almost a sob, despite of the monotone delivery of the

preceding words. Walter held on, his hands rubbing soothingly along Alex's

chest and stomach. 

 

"We stopped for dessert on the way home. Her car was gone, so I thought

she'd run out to the store. I set the boys at the table with dessert and

then went upstairs, intending to shower. She ah - she was on the floor of

the bedroom. There was blood everywhere." 

 

"I'm here, Alex, I'm here." 

 

Alex twisted; Walter released him, only to watch astonished as Alex

rolled toward him, grabbing him in a full body hug. Alex tucked his head

under Walter's chin and suckled at the flesh of his throat. 

 

"Alex, what are you doing?" 

 

"Please, Walter." 

 

"Not this way, Alex." 

 

"I need it." 

 

"It would be running away. You can't have that luxury right now. You need

to get it out so that when the boys wake up you can be calm for them." 

 

Alex sighed, the warm breath sending a shiver through Walter's body.

Alex's voice was soft but Walter had no trouble hearing him. 

 

"You're right. The boys have to come first." 

 

"Do you want to tell me the rest now?" 

 

"Yeah, I verified she was dead, but didn't move her or touch the weapon.

Then I washed my hands and closed the door behind me. I got the boys out

of there and we drove for a long time. I wanted to be sure we weren't

followed. When they fell asleep, I parked and got out to pace beside the

car for a long time. I decided the best thing would be to bring them to

you." 

 

Before Walter could answer, the doorbell rang. Alex nearly levitated from

the bed. 

 

"Easy, boy. That will be Scully. I was afraid you'd need sedating." 

 

"Is Mulder with her?" 

 

"Mulder should be at the house looking after Summer. Do you want to come

down or stay here?" 

 

"I'd better come down in case the doorbell woke the boys." 

 

The two men hurried downstairs before the bell could ring again. Alex

moved quickly to check on the children as Walter went to open the door.

Scully was neat, as always, no sign that she had been wakened in the

middle of the night. 

 

Walter ushered her into the living room, she moved quickly to Alex's

side. "Do you need anything, Krycek? I brought a mild sedative with me." 

 

"Thanks, but I'd better not, Scully. The boys might wake up, they've

never been here, and they'll be confused. Walter and I talked so I'm

calmer. He reminded me that it's not just me." 

 

"I understand. Mulder will call as soon as he knows anything." 

 

Walter spoke then; "Since we're all up might as well make a pot of

coffee." 

 

He went into the kitchen, leaving Scully with Krycek and his sons. She

settled in a chair, watched as Alex sat on the floor by the sofa and put

his head down next to the boys. Looking at them, she could see Alex in

them. They'd probably be heartbreakers when they grew up. 

 

Walter came back with a tray, coffee and snack food in case anyone was

hungry. He touched Alex's shoulder gently. Scully frowned as she saw the

look they exchanged. She'd known Alex was channeling information through

Skinner, but she hadn't realized there might be more to it than that. Not

that it was her business, but she didn't trust Alex any further than she

could throw a Buick. 

 

"Alex, do you want something to eat?" 

 

"Just a cup of coffee, please." 

 

Scully watched as Walter poured coffee into a cup and handed it to Alex

without asking his preferences. Before she could ponder it any more, her

cell phone rang. 

 

"Scully." 

 

"Scully, it's me. I need you to do something for me." 

 

"What is it, Mulder?" 

 

"I don't think this is Summer Paine's body. Will you get a swab from one

of the children and meet me at the morgue to do DNA testing. I don't want

to trust this to a tech." 

 

"Why do you think that?" 

 

"We haven't found a fetus, most of her teeth are gone, so DNA is our best

method for determining if it really is Summer." 

 

"Alright, I'll take care of it." 

 

"How is Krycek?" 

 

"Skinner is keeping him on track." 

 

"If anyone can, it's Skinner. He's always been the only one Krycek really

believed in." 

 

"We need to talk." 

 

"We will. See you at the morgue." 

 

Mulder disconnected before she could ask anything else. Skinner was

getting impatient. 

 

"Agent Scully, what did he say?" 

 

She turned to look at him and decided there was no getting around telling

them. "He wants me to meet him at the morgue with a swab from one of the

boys." 

 

"Why, Scully?" Alex's voice was calm but the air around him throbbed with

tension. 

 

"He doesn't believe that it's Summer." 

 

"Mother fucking son-of-a-whore bastards!" 

 

Well, if she'd forgotten he'd been a marine, she certainly remembered it

then. Alex just groaned, seemed to shrink as he wrapped his arm around his

knees and dropped his head to rest there. 

 

She opened her bag and pulled out what she would need. It was Skinner who

lifted one of the boys and gently helped her get a swab. Alex never moved.

At the door Skinner spoke. 

 

"Can you leave something with me, in case he needs it?" 

 

She nodded; placing her bag on the entry hall table, she quickly filled a

syringe for him. Squeezing his hand softly, she assured him, "I'll call as

soon as we know." 

 

"Thanks, Scully." 

 

She slipped out the door; Walter locked up and set the alarm. Alex hadn't

moved. Walter didn't say a word, just sat down behind Alex and wrapped his

arms around the still form. After a minute Alex turned to place his head

on Walter's shoulder. 

 

Walter shifted them around so that his back was supported by the sofa,

Alex sitting between his legs and supported by Walter's chest. Alex's head

was a welcome weight on his shoulder. They waited together for the

morning, or news, whichever came first. 

 

Neither man spoke of his fears. Another innocent, possibly two, maybe

three lost to the machinations of the Consortium. Walter sighed with

relief when he heard a small sleep snuffle from Alex. The boy needed rest

for whatever the day would bring. Burying his nose in the soft hair, he

allowed himself to drift off as well. 

 

At the morgue, Scully set up the DNA testing herself as Mulder watched

over her shoulder. 

 

"Mulder, tell me what you know about Skinner and Krycek." 

 

"Nothing to tell, really. Skinner has the hots for Krycek and Krycek is

in love with Skinner." 

 

"Mulder!" Eyebrow climbing to her hairline, Scully glared at him. 

 

"Seriously, Scully, that's it. Neither of them has admitted it, neither

of them wants the other to know. I'm a profiler, Scully. It's what I do

best. That's what I see." 

 

"Why haven't you told me this before? I had no idea Skinner was... is he

gay or bi?" 

 

"I'm not sure how he sees himself and I'm not going to ask." 

 

"And Krycek must be bi. Unless you think the boys aren't his?" 

 

"No they're his. All you have to do is look at them to know that." 

 

"They do have his eyes and hair, don't they?" 

 

"No doubt they'll grow up to be as handsome. How long it this going to

take?" 

 

"Not long. Do you want me to do the autopsy?" 

 

"Yes. The ME is competent, but he doesn't see this as anything special,

and said he had three other bodies to do before this one. Whether or not

this is Summer, I want all the information we can get before we talk to

Skinner and Krycek again. 

 

The machine beeped and started spitting out the results. Two heads bent

over the printer as the paper printed out. 

 

Walter woke to the feel of a small hand rubbing his baldhead. Turning, he

looked into the eyes of a wide-awake Walt. The boy put his finger to his

lips in a 'be quiet' gesture. Walter smiled at him. 

 

"Dad needs to sleep." The boy whispered. 

 

"Yes, he does. The bathroom is over there." 

 

Walter pointed, knowing the small boy probably needed to pee. He smiled

as Walt scrambled to the end of the couch and down. Sasha silently

followed his brother. They left the door open and he could see them

standing side by side at the toilet. Then they both managed rinse their

hands. 

 

They came back and sat on either side of him and Alex, leaning close. The

boys knew something was drastically wrong in their world, but the

instincts of their father had kicked in, and they were acting on those.

Walter felt a sense of pride for them. The three waited quietly for Alex

to awaken. 

 

It wasn't long before Alex began to stir. He was aware of the arms

holding him; a man's not a woman's The memories flooded in and he moaned.

Walter's voice immediately offered comfort. 

 

"Morning, Alex. We've been wondering when you'd wake up." 

 

He opened his eyes, and turned to see matching eyes watching him.

Swinging his head, he saw the other set watching as well. Neither boy

seemed concerned that their father was sleeping in their 'uncle's' arms.

He pulled forward and Walter's arms dropped. Alex missed them right away,

but his boys needed him. 

 

Alex reached out to pull both boys into his lap, giving them a good

morning hug. 

 

"Bet you boys are hungry. Let's get up and help Uncle Walter make

breakfast." 

 

"Pancakes!" From Sasha as Walt yelled, "Bacon!" 

 

"Uncle Walter wasn't expecting us so he might not have pancake mix." 

 

Walter's voice rumbled. Alex felt the vibrations through his body where

it still rested against Walter's. "I think I can manage pancakes. Give me

a few minutes to go wash my face and use the bathroom." 

 

Alex pushed the boys gently to get them up, then he rose and reached out

a hand to Walter. Walter pointed out the guest bath the boys had used, and

jogged up the stairs to the master bath. When he got back down, Alex had

the coffee maker going and the boys were at the table with juice. 

 

"You had orange pineapple, Uncle Walter. We love that best." 

 

"That's good. Now let's see what I have for breakfast. Alex, why don't

you go and sit with the kids, and thanks for getting the coffee going.

Need my morning shot of Java." 

 

They had just finished eating when the doorbell rang. Walter went to

answer it as Alex helped the boys load the dishwasher. Scully and Mulder

entered the kitchen behind Walter. 

 

"Walt, Sasha, I want you to meet two people who work for me. This is Ms.

Scully and Mr. Mulder. We need to talk about some things with your Dad. I

bought a new DVD that I was going to give you this weekend, why don't I

put it on for you to watch?" 

 

The boys looked up at Alex and he nodded to them. They followed Walter

into the living room as Alex offered Scully and Mulder coffee. No one

spoke until Walter returned. They gathered around the table with coffee,

Alex sitting close to Walter. 

 

Neither Scully nor Mulder commented on the way Alex reached for Walter's

hand where it rested on the table. 

 

"The news is in the good and bad category. The dead woman wasn't Summer."

 

 

Alex squeezed Walter's hand so hard he cut off the circulation. 

 

"Do you have any idea who it is?" Skinner asked, since Alex seemed to be

frozen. 

 

Scully took over. "Not yet, it won't be easy considering the extensive

damage to the body. I know this won't really make it easier but she was

dying. Cancer had spread through most of her body. Tox won't be back for a

while, but she probably felt very little of what happened to her. As

extensive as the cancer was, she had to have been on heavy duty pain

meds." 

 

Mulder spoke up then. "I've got an APB out for Summer's car, and pictures

of her are being distributed to all law enforcement personnel. I haven't

released anything to the press. I thought I'd let that be your call." 

 

"Mulder, we know who has her. The questions are: why? And where? Don't

give it to the press. That will bring out too many loonies." 

 

Krycek's voice was grim. Looking at him, Walter knew there would be

bodies, and he might just be contributing to the body count himself.

Mulder was nodding as his mind raced. 

 

"I thought that would be your decision. I've got the Gunmen checking

phone records and watching for her credit cards to be used. I don't expect

it, but someone might get sloppy." 

 

Alex turned to Skinner. "I need to know the boys are safe. Will you do

that for me?" 

 

"Let me send them to my brother with Scully to look out for them. I'll go

with you." 

 

"I can go places you'd stand out, Walter. I appreciate that you want to

help..." 

 

"Alex, I've come to care for Summer. If I can help bring her back to her

sons, I want to do that." 

 

"Thank you. But please, I'll feel easier if you are with them. If you

went with me and anything happened to us both...please!" 

 

Skinner looked stubborn, but finally nodded. Alex was right; he needed to

stay with the children. He might be the only family those boys would have.

 

 

Mulder stood, going to the counter for the coffeepot. "Okay, what's the

plan?" 

 

In the end, it was decided that Mulder would keep tabs on Alex via a

button microphone, Scully would go work with the gunmen, and Walter would

be available to relay information while keeping the kids safe. 

 

Mulder and Scully went off to get equipment, Alex brought in a bag from

his trunk, and Walter ran out to a local department store to get clothes

for the boys. When he got back, he packed some things for himself and

loaded his car. 

 

Alex sat on the sofa holding his sons close. The two boys looked at their

father with solemn faces, knowing that something was wrong. 

 

"Your mom and I have to be away for a while. I've asked Uncle Walter to

take care of you for us while we're gone. I want you to be good boys and

do everything he tells you. He's going to take you on a trip. And I'll

come home to you as soon as I can." 

 

"Will you be a long time?" Walt asked softly. 

 

"I'll try not to be. But I know Uncle Walter will take good care of you

for me." 

 

"Is the new baby coming home with you?" This from Sasha, who was the most

excited about the idea of a baby sister. 

 

"I'm not sure, Sasha. That depends on how long I have to be gone." 

 

"We'll be good, Dad, promise." 

 

"I know you will. Now I have to get some things ready to go, and I need a

few minutes to talk to Uncle Walter. Go back in the den and watch TV until

we're ready to leave." 

 

"Yes, sir." 

 

The boys went off as they were told. Walter watched as Alex opened the

case he'd brought in from the car. He put a small tracking device into his

prosthetic. At Walter's raised eyebrow, he explained. 

 

"They'll look for a tracker. When they find this one I hope they won't

look for any others." That said, he picked up a small metal button and

swallowed it. 

 

Walter reached out to help as Alex loaded guns and filled clips. When

everything was as Alex wanted it, he closed the case and stood up. 

 

"Want a quickie before Mulder gets back." 

 

"Alex..." 

 

"It wouldn't be hiding this time, Walter." 

 

"It would be too much like goodbye. I want you to come back. They need

you." 

 

"I plan on coming back. Haven't I always?" 

 

Walter shook his head and reached out, pulling Alex close. Alex thought

he was dreaming, right up until the moment Walter's lips touched his. The

kiss lived up to his fantasies and more. When Walter pulled back, they

were both panting slightly. 

 

"Come back to us. And if you still want it, then we'll continue this. If

not, neither of us will have anything to regret." 

 

"Keep them and yourself safe." 

 

"You do the same." 

 

Walter bent and kissed him once more, then pulled away. Alex called out

to the children. 

 

"Walt, Sasha, come here." 

 

The boys ran into the room and Alex scooped them up. He hugged them both

close, kissed their cheeks. "I love you. Be good." 

 

He set them on the floor and Walter held out their coats. The boys put on

the jackets and then reached for Walter's hands. Alex followed them to the

door and watched as they got on the elevator. As the doors closed, Walter

saw a single tear track down Alex's face. 

 

Alex brushed it off, turned back into the room, putting away his fears

that he would never see his sons or Walter again. He had a lot to do,

things he hadn't wanted Walter to know about. Lifting the fake bottom from

the bag he'd left on Walter's table, he took out what appeared to be a cap

for a tooth. It fit perfectly over a molar that had been ground down just

for this purpose. 

 

Alex had every intention of coming back to his sons, but if he were

captured he was not letting them make him into a super soldier or use him

as an incubator. 

 

Next, he removed a small tape recorder. With it, he taped a long message

for his sons, telling them all the things he had hoped to say in person

one day. He made a separate tape for Walter. Alex labeled them carefully

before putting them in an envelope addressed to his attorney. 

 

By the time he was finished, Mulder was tapping on the door. Time to get

to work. 

 

Walter called Kim from his cell phone as he pulled onto the freeway. He

gave her the story he'd come up with while planning with Alex and his

agents earlier. As soon as he disconnected the call, Kim was filling out

the paperwork for an emergency leave. She backdated it, signed his name

with a flourish and hurried off to convince the proper person that she'd

misplaced the paperwork. By noon, she had the official copy back on her

desk and all Walter's appointments had been canceled. By quitting time,

she had arranged to take a couple of days of vacation for herself. 

 

Walter had purchased some coloring books, crayons and magnetic puzzles

for the boys to have on the drive, but he was still amazed that they were

so quiet in the back seat. He had allowed them to pick where they wanted

to eat lunch and later popped a couple of antacids as the fast food

burgers played hell with his stomach. 

 

The kids had fallen asleep shortly after that, and slept until he was on

the outskirts of his hometown. He called his brother as he maneuvered

through traffic. 

 

"Skinner residence." 

 

"It's Walter, is he around?" 

 

"Sure, Walter, hold on." 

 

He heard the phone clunk down and footsteps walking away. His brother

hadn't entered the 21st century as far as phone equipment was concerned.

It wasn't long until he heard the sounds of his brother coming back. 

 

"Walter, what's wrong?" 

 

"Howard, does something have to be "wrong"?" 

 

"If you are calling me on a weekday, at a time you are normally still at

the office, yeah." 

 

"Never could fool you, could I? I should be there soon; I'm getting off

the freeway right now." 

 

"Okay, we'll get the guest room ready." 

 

"How, I've got a couple of kids with me." Walter had, without thinking,

regressed to calling Howard by his boyhood nickname; Howard hated it but

still allowed his older brother to use it. 

 

"No problem, Walter, they can bunk in with Stevie." 

 

"It'd be better if they are in with me. Do you still have that air

mattress?" 

 

"Walter, do I need to let the dogs out and load the guns?" 

 

"How, I haven't kidnapped them. Their father sent them with me. If things

go well, he should be coming for them in a few days." 

 

"Okay, then we'll talk about it when you get here." 

 

"Thanks, How. Should I stop at the grocery?" 

 

"Like food is ever an issue here? Just hurry home." 

 

Walter ended the call and a voice spoke from the back. 

 

"Are we almost there, Uncle Walter? I need to go." 

 

"Can you hold it for maybe five more minutes? We should be there by

then." 

 

"Okay." 

 

Walter increased his speed slightly and pulled up in front of his

brother's house in less than four. The boys were out of their seatbelts

before he opened the door. He hustled them to the house, where the door

opened before they were on the porch. As they headed to the bathroom he'd

pointed to, Walter turned to his brother. 

 

Howard Vasil'ev Skinner had been born late in his mother's childbearing

years. When people had asked why he'd been named Howard, Walter had teased

that it was short for 'how'd that happen' and then told them that's why he

called him How. 

 

He was tall and broad like his brother, but had managed to retain his

hair later into his adulthood. He owned his own business that did quite

well. He'd begun delegating much of his work as his children grew in order

to spend time with them. 

 

The two men embraced and then moved apart. "Walter, you look like hell." 

 

"Thanks, How." Walter grinned at his brother. 

 

Before he could say more, he heard the sound of small boys returning from

the bathroom. Turning, he beckoned them to him. 

 

"Boys, come here and meet How." 

 

He smiled as they giggled. "How, Uncle Walter?" 

 

"Yes, Walt, his name is How," Walter watched as his brother quirked his

eyebrow. "How, this is Walt and this is Sasha." 

 

Howard knelt to be at their level. "Sasha, for Alexander, right?" 

 

"Yes, sir. Alexander Sergei Paine." 

 

That got Walter another look, to which he mouthed, "I'll explain later." 

 

"Well, I guess you boys must be getting hungry. Why don't we go in the

kitchen and get a snack?" 

 

"That sounds like a good idea, come on boys." 

 

Walter walked behind the kids as they followed Howard to the kitchen.

Soon they were settled at the table with small dishes of gelato and

freshly made tea. 

 

Alex was several miles outside DC, talking to a former member of his

team, as Mulder listened in on the radio from his position down the road.

He didn't even flinch when the screams started. In Alex's place he might

have resorted to the very same measures. 

 

When Alex returned to the car, Mulder silently handed him a handful of

tissue and motioned to his face. Alex nodded and wiped away the blood that

had splattered on his face. 

 

"Where to now?" 

 

Alex quickly gave him an address and directions. Mulder was a little

surprised to glance over a short time later, to find Alex sleeping. Then

he figured it must be the sleep that combatants of war learn to take as

they can. He knew that Alex would not really rest until he'd found Summer,

and maybe not even then. 

 

It was midnight before he talked Alex into finding a room so he could at

least rest himself. 

 

"Krycek, you've had cat naps, I haven't. If I'm going to be any good to

you, I need rest, and we need to check in with Scully and Skinner. Let's

do it from someplace we can shower and grab a little sleep." 

 

They got a room, and he went for takeout while Alex took the first

shower. Coming back, he found Alex on the phone, a soft smile on his face.

 

 

"I knew they'd behave for you. They love you, Walter. - Yeah, Mulder's

back with dinner. - Do you think that's safe? - Okay, I'll do that. - Uh,

yeah, me too. - Night." 

 

"How are things with them?" 

 

"Walter says they were good as gold on the way there. He's having them

sleep on an air mattress in the room with him, so if they wake he'll be

there. He said they seemed to have had a good time with his brother's

children." 

 

"What were you concerned about?" 

 

"He said his sister-in-law had offered to let the boys go with her to her

school tomorrow. She teaches a kindergarten class, and thought it would

give Walter a chance to see old friends." 

 

"Skinner thinks it's safe for them to go?" 

 

"Your boss pointed out to me that it's a small town, and strangers are

spotted faster than 'a duck jumps on a June bug'." 

 

"He won't take any chances with them." 

 

"I know. What'd you bring us to eat?" 

 

"There weren't a lot of options. Burgers and fries." 

 

"I can eat anything." 

 

Walter stuck his phone in the charger after talking to Alex. He felt a

brief twinge of 'I shouldn't have said that'; turning to find his brother

in the room, the twinge became fullout horror. 

 

"How, I thought you were in bed." 

 

"I was. Got a touch of indigestion and came down for a glass of milk. I

think you forgot to tell me something earlier." 

 

"Does that make a difference?" Walter waited to see how his brother was

going to react to the change in his perception of his big brother. 

 

"You're still my blood. But from what you told me, I think you'll end up

hurt." 

 

"Maybe so, but I have to take the shot." 

 

"If it works out, he'll be welcome here." 

 

"You're a good brother, How." 

 

"I had the best big brother in town to learn from. You should go get some

sleep, those boys will probably be up early." 

 

"Yeah, that's a good bet. I made him promise to call tomorrow to talk to

them. I just thank god I'd been spending time with them before this

happened, otherwise they would have been even more frightened." 

 

"I think you would have calmed them pretty quickly. Kids have always

liked you. And the way they talk about their dad, I'm sure his word that

they should trust you would have been enough." 

 

Before Walter could answer, a wail sounded from upstairs. He took the

steps two at a time with Howard hot on his heels. They reached the bedroom

to see Walt hugging Sasha tightly as the bigger boy cried. Walter was

across the room in two strides to sit next to them. 

 

"Sasha, What is it?" 

 

"He had a bad dream, Uncle Walter." Walt's voice sounded so grown up

coming from such a small boy. 

 

Walter scooted closer and wrapped his arms around both boys. "Do you have

bad dreams often, Sasha?" 

 

"No." A small hiccup escaped after the single word. 

 

"What do your Mom and Dad do when you have bad dreams?" 

 

"Usually they let us sleep with them, or Dad will sing to us until we go

back to sleep." 

 

"I'm not sure I can sing as well as your Dad. He's got a really nice

voice." 

 

Howard moved into the room then. "Why don't we get you guys back under

the covers and I'll sing." 

 

Walter smiled up at his brother and made room for him on the edge of the

queen-sized air mattress. Walt let go of his brother and moved back under

the covers, but Sasha clung to Walter. He bent to kiss the boy on the

forehead, and held him. Howard's voice began singing the Russian lullaby

their Nana had sung to them. 

 

Sasha's head rose, he smiled at Howard, then he tugged Walter's head down

to whisper. "My Dad sings us that song." 

 

"Our Nana used to sing it to us. Try to sleep. I'll be right here to keep

away the bad dreams for the rest of the night." 

 

By the time the song had ended, both boys had drifted back to sleep.

Walter tucked Sasha under the blankets and kissed each boy on the head.

Howard watched quietly, thinking it was a shame Walter would never have

any of his own; he would have been a wonderful father. 

 

Howard and Walter quietly exchanged goodnights. Walter fell asleep pretty

quickly once he got into bed. He slept deeply, knowing the children were

safe and Alex would be safe, at least for the next few hours. He woke the

next morning with two raven heads resting on his shoulders. 

 

On the second day, Alex expanded their search, based on information

Scully had relayed to Mulder as they were ordering coffee at a Starbucks.

The small farm Alex led them to late in the afternoon showed signs of

having been abandoned just hours prior to their arrival. 

 

The earring Alex found caught in the arm of the sofa was one of a set

Walter'd given Summer for her birthday the month before. Mulder stood

quietly as Alex ranted for several long minutes. Then the two men went

over every inch of the farm, looking for clues. 

 

Alex called a halt to their day around dinnertime. 

 

"Mulder, pull into that motel for the night." 

 

"What? You're ready to stop for the day?" 

 

Mulder glanced at Alex as he stopped the car by the office. A slight

blush climbed up from Alex's collar. 

 

"Skinner made me promise we'd stop at a reasonable time tonight. He wants

me to call when I can talk to the boys." 

 

Mulder hid a smile at the idea of Alex being whipped, when, as far as he

could tell, they hadn't even had sex yet. But Skinner did have a point,

the children had been uprooted, sent a couple of hundred miles from home,

with an 'uncle' they had known just a few months. They needed to talk to

the one parent who was in a position to talk to them. 

 

Mulder left Alex in the room while he went for Chinese. Using his cell,

he checked in with Scully while waiting. 

 

"Hello, Mulder. I was about to call you." 

 

"What is it?" 

 

"Summer's car was found. No sign of her yet." 

 

"We found a farm house where she was kept for a while. One of her

earrings was on the sofa. Krycek went totally Russian. I'm impressed with

his cursing skills." 

 

"Skinner's were pretty impressive, too. Where are you?" 

 

"A little town near the Virginia border. I'm waiting for dinner. Krycek

is at the hotel calling Skinner. Said Skinner made him promise to call

when he could talk to his kids." 

 

"How is Skinner coping?" 

 

"Seems to be doing fine. Krycek said Skinner had been spending time with

them. And his brother has a son just a little older than they." 

 

As Mulder talked to Scully, Alex was having his own conversation with

Walter. 

 

"I feel so angry. We were so close this afternoon, Walter. She was there.

Goddamn them for this. I swear..." 

 

"Alex, you need to calm down. If you don't, you're going to make stupid

errors in judgement." 

 

"You're right, Walter. I just..." 

 

Before he had a chance to say more he heard the sound of two young boys

yelling, "Is it Dad?" 

 

"Yes, it's your Dad." Walter's voice held laughter. Then a small child

was on the line. 

 

"Dad, we got to ride a pony today, and we helped feed the dogs, and went

to a school with all sizes of kids and..." 

 

"Slow down, Sasha. Leave something for your brother to tell me. You

having fun at Howard's house?" 

 

"Yes, Dad. Uncle Walter said we could visit again whenever we want." 

 

"That's great, Sasha. Let Walt have a chance to talk to me." 

 

"Okay, love you, Dad." 

 

"Love you, too." 

 

Walt got on the line sounding calmer than his brother. "Hi, Dad. It's

really nice here. Everyone knows Uncle Walter and says hi and gives us

stuff. This one lady gave us some really good candy that she made herself;

it looks like quartz. But we miss you and Mom." 

 

"I know I miss you very much, too. I hope we can all be home soon. I want

you to keep behaving for Uncle Walter. He said you've been very good boys

and that makes me proud." 

 

"I love you, Dad." 

 

He heard a shout and then running and Walter's voice sounding calm.

"Boys, go downstairs with Stevie, he's going to show you the trains as he

promised. I'll be down soon." 

 

Alex waited as he heard voices calling out; someone named Justin was told

to let the dogs out of the run. Then Walter's voice was on the line. 

 

"Alex, I have to go. I'll call you back as soon as I can." 

 

"Walter, what the fuck is going on?" 

 

"How just got a call from a friend. There are several men in town asking

about me, wanting to know if I have children with me. We don't think they

have any information but we aren't taking chances." 

 

"What are you doing?" 

 

"The boys will be downstairs with the train; with luck they'll never even

realize anything is happening. How's oldest, Justin is letting the dogs

out. They have been trained to patrol the property, and anyone who has not

been introduced to them will be taken down and killed if they try to

fight. How and I will be armed." 

 

"Walter..." 

 

"I'd say don't worry but I know that'd be a waste of breath. I'll protect

them, Alex. Isn't that why you sent them with me? Now I need to go, How

needs help loading all those guns." 

 

Mulder walked into the room in time to hear Alex's last words to Walter. 

 

"Keep yourself safe as well, Walter. I need you alive, too." 

 

"Hey, I've been dead twice, I came back both times, didn't I? And I

didn't have as much reason to, those times. I love you." 

 

Before Alex could answer, the phone clicked in his ear. He turned

stricken eyes to Mulder. 

 

Walter hurried to join his brother as Justin came back in from letting

the dogs free. The four dogs had a large dog run in back where they spent

a good portion of their time. Once released from the run and given the

protect command, they instantly took off for the side of the property that

was each one's area. Until called, they would hold sentry there. 

 

Walter helped Howard load his deer rifles, as well as the shotguns.

Justin could handle a gun if needed, but his father decided to send him

downstairs to keep the younger boys occupied. When the phone rang, he went

to answer it as Walter continued to sit watching the road from the front

window. Howard came back and spoke quietly. 

 

"That was Bill, a couple of strange cars are coming this way." 

 

Walter nodded. Picking up a shotgun and tucking his Glock in the front of

his pants, he stepped out onto the front porch. In a short while, the cars

pulled up in front of the house. Howard stood in the doorway ready to fire

as needed or support his brother in any way he could. 

 

"Mr. Skinner, we've been sent by Summer Paine to collect her children. We

have a letter from her." 

 

The speaker started toward Walter. Walter raised the shotgun and pointed

it at the man's head. "Summer was kidnapped, her death faked. Do you

really think I'm going to believe you?" 

 

"I assure you, sir, we are here at her behest." 

 

"As I said, I don't believe you. Their father gave them into my care and

I will not let anyone take them." 

 

Guns began to appear in the hands of the men who'd exited the cars. One

man, obviously less experienced or just too hyped up, fired. The shot sent

a chip of wood from the porch column into Walter's thigh. Howard fired

without thought, and the man went down. The others froze in their tracks. 

 

Howard then let out with a loud whistle and within seconds four of the

six men who'd exited the cars were on the ground, throats held in the

strong jaws of two large Rhodesian ridgebacks and two rottweilers. Two of

the four men were dog stupid. That left better odds. 

 

The man who'd spoken to Walter looked at his men on the ground, then back

up at Walter. "Mr. Skinner, there was no need for this type of ugliness." 

 

"I agree. But your man fired on me. I have a suggestion for you. Go back

to your employer and tell him if he wishes to continue living, he'd better

release Summer and find a deep hole to hide in. You've crossed Alex

Krycek, which means you've crossed the devil himself." 

 

"He isn't afraid of Krycek." 

 

"Then he's a fool. A man will do anything to protect his family. Now take

your dead and get out of here." 

 

The stranger turned then, and realized that three of his men were indeed

dead. One shot, two with crushed necks from struggling with the dogs. 

 

"Call off the dogs." 

 

"After you get the bodies in the cars." 

 

The two dogs whose targets were dead, turned at a command from Howard and

took up positions near the porch. They all watched as the man struggled to

get the bodies in the trunk of the car without help. The two men on the

ground stayed still. 

 

When the bodies were stored, Howard called to the remaining dogs. Both

men jumped to their feet, rubbing bloodied throats as they ran to the

cars. Walter and Howard didn't relax until after the cars were out of

sight. No words were exchanged or needed between the brothers. Howard

called to the dogs, releasing them from patrol to go for water, as he went

to get something to cover the blood stains in the yard. 

 

Walter headed for his phone, knowing Alex would be frantic. Justin was

standing in the doorway to the basement. 

 

"Why don't you go give your Dad a hand in the yard?" 

 

"Sure, Uncle Walter. Can the boys come up? They're getting a little

antsy. I think they all need to pee." 

 

"Yeah that's fine. I just need to make a phone call, so stay with them

until they go to the bathroom, and then send them back down until

everything is squared away." 

 

Justin nodded; Walter grabbed his phone from the charger and went into

the den and closed the door. 

 

Alex had been pacing for the last two hours. Mulder had tried to get him

to eat, but had given up when Alex bared his teeth at him and growled,

"Leave me the fuck alone." 

 

When the phone rang, Alex dived across the bed to grab it. 

 

"Walter!" 

 

"Relax, Alex, everyone is fine." 

 

"What happened?" 

 

"The men who were looking for me in town must have gotten How's address

from the phone directory. I know none of the townspeople would have given

it to them. A neighbor called to let us know when they were almost here." 

 

"How many were there?" 

 

"Six, in two cars. They tried to tell me Summer had sent them. Might have

worked if I was brain dead. I'd also seen one of them with Spender a few

years back. I guess they are too dumb to realize that I've been trained to

observe and remember." 

 

"Shit, Walter, do you know his name? That might help us find Summer." 

 

"No, but I can give you a good description. He's probably forty,

pre-maturely gray, silver actually..." 

 

"Fucking, Klein! I know just how to push his buttons." 

 

"Good, because he's one of the ones who walked away." 

 

"What did you do, Walter?" 

 

"Me personally? Nothing. One of them shot at me and How's instincts took

over. Two others struggled with the dogs, so either their necks were

snapped or crushed." 

 

"Isn't the place swarming with cops?" 

 

"I made him take his dead with him. And you know they didn't stop in town

to report us. After all, they were trying to abduct two children. Even if

they had, considering the family reputation in this town, we would have

been questioned and the matter dropped. Trespassing is still frowned upon

in this neck of the woods. Shooting at FBI directors would be an act of

treason as far as they are concerned." 

 

"Hold on a minute, Walter, Mulder is going ballistic." 

 

Walter listened as Alex relayed the information he had so far to Mulder.

Alex came back on-line as Howard opened the door and entered the room with

Justin. 

 

"Alex it's my turn to ask you to hold a minute." 

 

"Walter, we need to see to your leg." 

 

"I'm fine, How. Get everything squared away?" 

 

"Yes, and we need to take care of the leg. You aren't fine and if you

stain that chair you can explain to your sister-in-law why you bled all

over her favorite chair." 

 

Mulder jumped as Alex screamed into the phone, "Walter, you're hurt?!" 

 

Howard grinned at the chagrined look on his brother's face as they all

clearly heard Alex's yell. Walter growled, "Big mouth" at his brother,

before putting the phone back to his ear. 

 

"Alex it's nothing, really. When the bastard shot at me, he hit the porch

column and a piece of wood splintered off and hit my leg." 

 

Walter grunted and glowering at Howard as his pants leg was slit, "I

could have taken them off; you didn't need to cut them." 

 

"Pulling them down would have caused more damage to the wound." 

 

"Walter let me talk to Howard." Alex demanded. 

 

"He wants to talk to you now, Mr. Smart Ass, I hope he yells at you."

Walter held out the phone, and Howard took it while telling Justin to call

the doctor. 

 

"Hello, Alex." 

 

"He needs a doctor?" 

 

"He's going to be fine, Alex. It's a pretty good size chunk of wood. When

it comes out, he's going to need stitches and it's going to hurt like hell

once the adrenaline wears off. But he's in no danger of dropping dead or

being unable to care for the boys." 

 

"You're sure?" 

 

"Very sure. I wouldn't take a chance with my brother's life." 

 

"He always says he's fine even when he isn't." 

 

"Yeah, I know. Maybe you can break him of that habit. I'm going to put

him back on the phone. The doctor will be here soon and he'll need to hang

up then." 

 

Holding out the phone to Walter, Howard told him, "I'm going to go set up

the kitchen table, Harry will want you under good light." 

 

Walter took a deep breath before he put the phone back to his ear. 

 

"Alex, we don't have too much time, Harry is only a few miles away." 

 

"I'm so sorry, Walter." 

 

"For what? I love those boys, Alex. I would stand between them and danger

for that alone. No reason for you to feel any guilt." 

 

"I should have disappeared when I found out she was pregnant. If I had,

she'd be safe at home, you wouldn't be bleeding, and Howard wouldn't have

blood on his hands." 

 

Alex looked up as Mulder's hand gripped his shoulder. Mulder's head

shaking coincided perfectly with Walter's reply, "No, Alex, boys need a

father and they couldn't have a more loving one. I've seen that with my

own eyes. As for Howard, he was defending me, he won't lose any sleep over

what he had to do." 

 

"I'll never be able to thank you, all of you, enough." 

 

"Don't be getting all depressed Russian on me. I want you to eat a good

dinner and sleep. Tomorrow you're going to find her. I know it." 

 

"Mulder is rubbing off on you." Alex smiled at the raised eyebrow Mulder

shot his way. 

 

"Worse things could happen. I hear Harry's truck. I'll talk to you soon."

 

 

"Tomorrow." 

 

The phone clicked and Alex turned to give Mulder a report. Walter sat for

a long minute after he disconnected before getting slowly to his feet. Now

that the adrenaline was wearing off, he was feeling the pain. 

 

The jagged piece of wood was a good two inches across. He was pretty sure

he was going to bleed like crazy when Harry took it out. And he knew that

if Alex ever saw the scar, he'd be royally pissed at Walter and Howard for

understating the injury. 

 

Harry was scrubbing his hands when Walter entered the kitchen. He grinned

over his shoulder. 

 

"I hear some city slicker thought he could outdraw a Skinner." 

 

Walter laughed as Howard reached out to help him get up on the table.

"Howard, cut those pants completely off. Need room to work. This would be

easier at the hospital." 

 

"Harry, I told you there ain't a hope in hell of getting him to go

there." 

 

"Stubborn, just like your father." 

 

"I've missed you too, Harry." Walter chuckled as his brother's knife made

fast work of his jeans, leaving him in briefs and a flannel shirt. 

 

Harry looked at the hunk of wood as he pulled on gloves and prepared a

shot of novocaine. "Howard, better get some more towels, that's going to

bleed like crazy when I pull that wood out, and we need to let it. I'm

pretty sure at least a few coats of the paint on that old porch were lead

based." 

 

Howard nodded and headed off to get clean towels. By the time he

returned, the novocaine had started working. Harry grasped the protruding

end and worked it out as carefully as possible. He let the blood flow for

a full minute before he flooded the wound with a disinfectant. 

 

"Walter, you're going to have a damn big scar." 

 

The kitchen was silent as Harry repaired Walter's leg. By the time

Camilla got home from her PTA meeting, the bloody towels were soaking in

the washer and dinner was almost ready. That night, Walter didn't bother

putting the boys to bed on the air mattress; he just allowed them to get

in the big bed with him, but put them both on the side away from his

injury. 

 

Mulder woke the next morning to find Alex gone and a note on the bedside

table. 

 

Mulder, 

 

You can't be involved in what I need to do today. As soon as I have a

location on Summer, I'll call you. If things don't go well, tell Walter my

lawyer has a tape for him. I know I can trust you and Scully to take care

of him. 

 

Krycek 

 

Alex had headed for an address in Maryland. There was one person in the

world who was important enough to Klein to make him forget his loyalty to

Spender, or whoever was pulling his strings currently. 

 

Alex felt like Richard Widmark in "Kiss of Death" as he terrorized

Klein's wife into calling him to come home. Luckily, Klein caved in before

Alex was forced to do something that would make facing family difficult

afterward. Although, he would have carried out his threat and borne the

burden to save Summer. 

 

As he got into the car and headed toward his destination, he called

Mulder. 

 

"Krycek, Skinner is going to be pissed when he finds out that you ditched

me." 

 

"Well, he can whip my ass after Summer is safe. Where are you?" 

 

"Scully and I are with the Gunmen. They were trying to track your cell

phone." 

 

"Then you can meet me. She's being held in Arlington." 

 

"Scully, let's go." 

 

"Mulder are you sure you want to bring her." 

 

"I'm going to do you a huge favor, Krycek. I'm not going to repeat that.

I think one ass whipping is about all you can take. Give me the address." 

 

Alex rattled it off to him, then switched off the phone. As he got closer

to the address, he turned it back on to call Skinner. 

 

"Alex, you have news?" 

 

"We know where she is and we're on our way there. I needed to hear your

voice." 

 

"You be careful." 

 

"I will. This is too important and someone keeps telling me he wants me

alive." 

 

"Best listen to him. Believe me you don't want to piss him off." 

 

"Why? Think he might follow me to hell just so he could kick my ass?" 

 

"I know he would." 

 

"I'm almost there, need to rendezvous with Mulder. I'll call you later." 

 

"I'll be here." 

 

Neither said goodbye, or the far more important words they both thought.

Maybe it was superstition, maybe just men being men. Walter paced until

his leg gave out. 

 

Mulder and Scully listened as Alex laid out his plan. Mulder had taken

the time to get the Gunmen to locate floor plans for the tract houses to

which the address had led. They had lucked out in that the builder had

only used three lay-outs and the outside of the house would tell them

which it was. 

 

"This is a big help, Mulder. Be sure and thank them for me." 

 

"I'll do that. I still think I should go with you." 

 

"Please, Mulder. Anything you don't see, you can't testify about." 

 

"Anything happens to you, and I have to explain it to Skinner." 

 

"No you won't. He'll never ask." 

 

"You're wrong about that. But we'll play it your way. What will you use

as a signal?" 

 

"I'll just yell for you." 

 

Mulder nodded, and watched as Alex moved purposefully away from them. 

 

"Mulder, you know this is going to get nasty." 

 

"I know. If you want to leave, you can." 

 

Scully looked at her partner, searching his eyes. A sigh escaped her

lips; one sin to confess was looming in her future, only this time the sin

would be committed for two young boys and their mother. 

 

Alex circled carefully around the house when he reached it. The house was

like all the other single story houses on the block: bland and

nondescript. Alex peeked into the kitchen, to find it empty. He gained

entrance quite easily. 

 

As he moved slowly through the hallway, he came upon the first man

exiting the bathroom. The kill was swift and silent; he lowered the body

silently to the floor and continued down the hallway. The second man was

dispatched just as silently as he sat reading in the living room. 

 

Alex made note that Spender needed to upgrade his staff. He would never

have been caught sitting in a chair with his back exposed to the doorway.

Going back to the hallway, he opened the first door on an empty room. The

second room contained a sleeping guard, one that would never wake again. 

 

He couldn't believe the lack of readiness on their part. Did they

honestly believe that no one would find them? Or was it possible he was in

the wrong place? He opened the third bedroom door slowly. Before it was

completely open, he saw her lying on the bed. 

 

Then he made a stupid rookie mistake; hurrying to her side, he felt for

her pulse. The blow came from the left, and he slumped to the floor. 

 

"Stupid mistake, Krycek." 

 

Down the street, Mulder grimaced as he heard the man's voice. Scully

watched as Mulder threw open the door of the car. Because her legs were

shorter he beat her to the house by a good half block. He circled to the

kitchen door, gaining entrance as Alex had. 

 

When he reached the bedroom, he found the man looming over Alex, slapping

him and calling his name. 

 

"Krycek, wake up. I want to watch your eyes when I kill her." 

 

That was enough to cause Mulder to act. He aimed for the shoulder of the

man's gun hand, and fired. Scully got to the house just as Mulder shot the

kidnapper. As she came into the room, she found Mulder standing over the

man he'd shot. Krycek was still out of it, lying on the floor cuffed. 

 

"Scully, check on Summer first." 

 

Mulder pulled out his phone to dial for help. The man he'd shot started

screaming for a doctor. His screams were ignored as Scully bent over

Summer. 

 

It had been hours since Alex had called. Howard and Camilla had taken the

boys out for the afternoon. They all felt that it was better if Walt and

Sasha didn't see Walter's agitation. 

 

When his phone finally rang, he jumped a foot into the air, landing with

a curse as he jogged his injured leg. 

 

"Alex?" 

 

"No it's me, Mulder." 

 

"Is he dead?" 

 

"No, he's going to be fine. He has a concussion, but other than that he's

okay." 

 

"Did you find Summer?" 

 

"Yes, she's been drugged. We're at the hospital. They're monitoring the

baby and she seems to be all right. They won't know for certain if any

permanent damage has been done to them until they get back the test

results. But they're both still alive." 

 

"Damage?" 

 

"Three dead, a third I had to shoot to protect them, but he'll live to

stand trial." 

 

"He's with her?" 

 

"Yes, he asked me to call so you would stop pacing." 

 

"Had to stop that hours ago, my leg was hurting. Look after them and call

me when you have more news. Tell Alex I'll bring the boys back tomorrow,

if he wants." 

 

"I'll give him the message, but it might be better to stay there until

Summer is awake and better." 

 

"You might be right. Keep me posted." 

 

"I will, Sir." 

 

Well, it had been a nice dream while it lasted, Walter thought, as he

hobbled into the kitchen to get a cup of tea and another painkiller. But

he had no reason to be angry; he hadn't been promised anything. And he

couldn't, wouldn't, expect Alex to turn his back on Summer and the

children. He was the interloper. 

 

Part of him was glad that he hadn't taken Alex up on his offer. He

wouldn't have to spend the rest of his life missing that. But another part

was sad that he'd given up his only chance of knowing what the beautiful

man was like writhing in pleasure. 

 

By the time Howard, Camilla and the boys got home, the pain pill had

kicked in. 

 

Alex sat next to Summer, her hand lying limp in his. He wanted to talk to

Walter but didn't dare call from her room. She might wake, and he didn't

want to risk her hearing the tone he knew was in his voice when he spoke

to Walter now. 

 

Walter had said the words to him. The words Alex had never thought to

hear from Skinner. And Skinner had watched over his sons, kept them safe. 

 

He knew Walter would consider it his place to be right where he was at

that moment. Until he knew Summer and his daughter were out of danger, he

wouldn't leave the room. So anything he wanted to say to Walter would have

to wait. 

 

It was late evening when she woke. Her first reaction was panic. Alex

ended up on the bed next to her, holding her tightly until the shaking

stopped. When she finally slipped into a natural sleep, he slipped out

into the hospital courtyard to call Walter. 

 

"Alex?" 

 

"Yes, it's me. Did Mulder call you?" 

 

"Yes, he's called twice. I'm glad they're going to be alright, Alex." 

 

"The doctor is going to release her tomorrow if her vitals stay stable.

I've arranged for the Gunmen to beef up security at the house. We've also

hired a private security firm to have onsite presence." 

 

"When would you like me to bring the boys home?" 

 

"Walter - we need to talk." 

 

"Not really, Alex. Your family has to come first. I understand that

completely. You do what you need to do for them." 

 

Alex didn't know what to say at that point. Had Walter changed his mind?

Could his love be that fleeting? Or was he just protecting his heart? 

 

"Will you bring them home day after tomorrow?" 

 

"Of course, whenever you want." 

 

"We are going to talk." 

 

"I'll see you then." 

 

Walter disconnected before Alex could say anything else. Turning his

phone off, he headed up to bed. He smiled at the boys as he changed into

his pj pants in the near dark room. The circumstances had been less than

ideal, but he had enjoyed his time here with them. He slipped into the bed

without waking them, and let his latest pain med take him down into sleep.

 

 

Alex made sure the guard at Summer's room had his cell number, and then

he left the hospital. One more detail to take care of and then he could

rest. 

 

The man thought his house was secure. He never counted on a pissed off

former Consortium member wanting him dead. When his body was found, Alex's

message was clearly understood by the remaining members. 

 

If they wanted Alex Krycek, they had better go after him and leave his

family alone. One of the younger members asked, "Who does he think he is

Keyser Soze?" 

 

The answer was so obvious no one replied. 

 

Walter and the children had an uneventful trip home. Alex had insisted

that he must come in so that Summer could thank him for looking after the

children. The boys had run ahead and were chattering away to their Mom.

She smiled and held on to them as she listened. 

 

Walter waited until they ran down and she turned to look at him. 

 

"Thank you, Walter, for looking out for them. It sounds like Uncle Walter

knows the best spot for a vacation." 

 

"Walt, Sasha, let's go get your mother a cool drink and let her talk to

Uncle Walter for a while." 

 

The boys left with Alex, and Walter sat next to her when she patted the

edge of the bed. 

 

"You look good. No After-effects?" 

 

"I'm still really tired. But then I was tired before it happened. Alex

says he wouldn't have made it if not for you and your agents. Will you

thank them for me?" 

 

"Yes, of course." 

 

She reached out her hand, and Walter held it until she fell asleep. He

placed it carefully on the bed before leaving the room. Alex was on his

way up the stairs with a glass of juice. 

 

"She's asleep. I thought it was a good time for me to go." 

 

"You could stay for dinner." 

 

"I don't think so. The drive was hard on my leg. I just want to go home

and rest it." 

 

"I'll walk out with you." 

 

Alex left the glass of juice on the small table on the landing, and

reached to take Walter's arm. Walter wanted to shake him off, but allowed

him to help. The hours in the car really had been difficult. Neither spoke

until they reached the car. 

 

"Give me a few days for them all to settle down and I'll come see you." 

 

"No need. You have a family to care for. But I would like to see the baby

when she's born." 

 

Alex grabbed Walter's hand, "I said when things are calm I'll come over

and we'll talk. You aren't running away from me." 

 

"I'll be here for the children whenever they need me, Alex. But you owe

me nothing." 

 

"You are such a stubborn ass. Go home and tell yourself this is over.

I'll prove you wrong." 

 

Walter's hand dropped and he got into his car. Alex stepped back and

watched as Walter pulled out of the driveway. 

 

Walter drove home slowly, back to his lonely life. 

 

He was completely prepared for things to go back to the way they had

been: being 'Uncle Walter' to the boys, and the new daughter when she was

born; Alex showing up with information when he had it. 

 

One thing had changed. Alex called him every day and invited him to come

by for dinner. He found excuse after excuse. At first, it was his leg, and

that was partially true. It wasn't healing as quickly as he'd hoped. He'd

ended up taking the strongest antibiotic on the market, as well as having

surgery to remove a small sliver of wood that Harry hadn't found, because

Walter wouldn't go to the hospital for surgery. 

 

Mulder called Alex to tell him about the surgery, and when Walter woke,

Alex was by his bed. 

 

"You are in so much trouble, Walter. Why didn't you let me know this was

happening?" 

 

"I told you my leg was still bothering me." 

 

"Bothering is a hell of a lot different from needing to be cut open. I

talked to Howard this afternoon, so don't even bother to try and lie to

me. You should have let them take you to the hospital." 

 

"I was afraid those men might come back. And I had the boys to look

after." 

 

"Howard is obviously competent enough to look after them for a few hours.

The surgery would have been much easier then." 

 

"They were in my care. You entrusted them to me. I would do it the same

way again, even knowing what I know now. Go home to your family, Alex. I'm

going to be fine." 

 

Walter turned as far away as was possible with an IV line and foley

connected to him. Alex realized he wouldn't be getting anywhere right

then, so he turned and left the room. Mulder was coming down the hallway. 

 

"Being a jackass, is he?" 

 

"Yeah." 

 

"He's trying to be noble." 

 

"Noble? How does pushing me away make him noble?" 

 

"He doesn't want to be a home wrecker." 

 

Alex's eyes stopped flashing with anger as he took that in. He nodded

briefly and turned to leave. He had some serious thinking to do. If Mulder

was right, Walter wanted more that a quick fuck. And when he'd said I love

you, it had been genuine, not just an attempt to make him feel good

because he might get killed. 

 

When Walter returned home from the hospital, the calls resumed. So did

his excuses. Alex became increasingly more irritated. He began to think

he'd have to go and park himself on Walter's welcome mat to have more than

a ten-minute conversation. 

 

The holidays were approaching and Alex was determined to get things

settled with Walter. Summer was no longer worried when he left the house,

and she had invited an old college friend to come visit for Thanksgiving

week. 

 

Alex blackmailed Walter into eating Thanksgiving dinner with them by

having Walt call to ask him. He might have been able to say no to Alex,

but he was putty in the hands of a five-year-old with a mission. And after

almost two months of not seeing their favorite uncle, both boys wanted him

there. 

 

Walter showed up on time and the boys immediately hauled him up to the

playroom to see the trains Walter had sent for their fifth birthday. Alex

had used a piece of plywood to mount them on. He happily got down on the

floor with them and played until they were called for dinner. 

 

Walter politely ignored the flirtation of Summer's girlfriend during

dinner. He was much too old for her, even if he'd been interested in

trying to go straight. After dinner, he watched a new DVD with the boys,

and then read them a story before tucking them in. 

 

As he made his way back downstairs, he heard Summer's friend Kelly

speaking. 

 

"I think Walter is gay." 

 

"Kelly, why on earth would you say that?" 

 

"Because I've never had a straight man ignore me. Especially when I've

grabbed his cock. His didn't even twitch. So he's either gay or he's a

eunuch." 

 

"Kelly, you didn't? Oh my god, I'm so embarrassed." 

 

"What do you have to be embarrassed about? He's a good looking man and I

could rock his world." 

 

Alex came out of the den in time to hear that last. Walter was frozen on

the bottom step, very red-faced. So Alex spoke loudly enough to let the

women know they were out there. 

 

"Boys settled?" 

 

"Yes. It only took a chapter to knock them out. I guess I'm boring, or

they were tired." 

 

"It was a long day for them and they didn't have a nap. Would you like a

drink?" 

 

Both men had moved so the occupants of the living room could see them. 

 

"No thank you, I have to get home. Unfortunately, I have some work to get

done tomorrow and I also promised Mulder and Scully I'd have lunch with

them." 

 

Walter had moved across the room to Summer as he spoke to Alex. Bending,

he kissed her cheek. "Goodnight, Summer. Thank you for an excellent

dinner." Turning he looked at Kelly, "It was nice meeting you, Kelly." 

 

"I'll walk you out." 

 

Alex retrieved Walter's jacket as well as his own. Walking out with him

to the car, he grinned. "Did she really grab you?" 

 

"Yes." Walter said sardonically. 

 

"Well, that puts her ahead of me." 

 

Walter turned to make a nasty remark and Alex pressed in close. Walter

gasped as Alex's hand cupped him. Whereas Kelly had gotten no reply,

little Wally stood up and said hello to Alex. Alex took advantage of

Walter's open mouth to swoop in and explore. 

 

Walter groaned into the kiss, one hand finding its way into Alex's hair

as the other latched on to a firm ass cheek. Alex worked his way out of

the kiss slowly, nipped at Walter's lower lip and then stepped back.

Walter sagged against the car. The moon appeared from behind the clouds at

that moment and Walter saw the smug grin on Alex's face. 

 

"Kelly has no idea what she's missing out on. I'll see you soon, Walter."

 

 

Alex turned, walked back to the house singing softly, a few of the words

floated back to Walter. "Doin' dat grind with a push and squeeze, tied up,

tied down, up against the wall..." 

 

Walter watched until he entered the house and then he got in his car and

drove home. His hard-on lasted through the entire trip; in the elevator he

was glad no one got on to witness him standing there with a huge bulge in

his jeans. He headed right up to his bedroom, stripping down and not even

bothering to turn down the bed; he just flopped down and took himself in

hand. 

 

Eyes closed tightly, he relived the kiss, imagining Alex was next to him

and it was Alex's hand bringing him pleasure. He drew it out as long as he

could; finally, he came, whispering Alex's name into the still room. 

 

Alex had been doing a lot of thinking over the last two months. He didn't

want to hurt Summer, and he wanted to be a part of his children's lives.

None of that had changed. 

 

But he was very much in love with Walter. So he had to find a way to have

both or he had to let Walter go. It wasn't fair to tie Walter's life to

him if he'd never be more than the uncle who gave gifts and came for

dinner. Walter deserved to have as normal a life as possible. He deserved

to be loved and have a sex life. 

 

The idea of letting Walter go caused his breath to freeze in his chest.

The thought of Walter with another man could not be borne. It boiled down

to how much of him Walter needed. How much could Walter compromise his

morals? 

 

Alex got up the morning after Thanksgiving and called Mulder. 

 

"Mulder." 

 

"Mulder, this is Krycek. Can I come over? I have something I want to talk

to you about." 

 

"If you come right away. I'm going to pick up Scully later." 

 

"I know you have a lunch date with Walter." 

 

"How did you know that?" 

 

"He told me last night after dinner." 

 

"You got him out of the apartment?" 

 

"I had the boys invite him." 

 

"Haven't lost your sneaky edge, have you?" 

 

"Never. I'll be over there soon." 

 

He disconnected the call. Less than a half-hour later he was outside

Mulder's door. Mulder opened the door almost before the buzzer stopped. 

 

"Come on in." 

 

"Thanks." 

 

"Want some coffee?" 

 

"That'd be great." 

 

Neither spoke again until they each had a mug of coffee in hand. 

 

"So, Krycek, what did you want to talk about?" 

 

"I've been doing a lot of thinking. About Walter, about how I feel about

him." 

 

"Reached any conclusions?" 

 

"I'm in love with him." 

 

"That, I already knew. What are you going to do about it?" 

 

"Mulder, will you treat this conversation as if I were your patient?" 

 

"Give me a dollar." 

 

"What?" 

 

"Give me a dollar, I don't see patients for free." 

 

Alex laughed, then reached for his money clip and handed over a dollar. 

 

"Want to lie down?" 

 

"No. Mulder, you said he was trying to be noble. While I understand that

and appreciate his reasons, I need him to be a little less noble." 

 

Alex got up and paced in the small space of the room. "I love Summer, as

a friend, as the mother of my children. But I'm not in love with her. I

don't want to hurt her. Fuck, I feel like I'm doing a Meat Loaf song

here." 

 

"Two Out of Three Ain't Bad?" 

 

"Yeah." 

 

Alex slumped into his chair. Mulder waited, sipping his coffee. 

 

"I feel all of those things when I look at Skinner. From the moment I met

him, I felt connected in a way I never felt with anyone else. It was

stupid to start a relationship with Summer when I already knew where my

heart belonged." 

 

"Then why did you?" 

 

"He asked me the same thing. I didn't expect her to fall in love with me.

And to be even more honest, I never expected to have a chance with

Walter." 

 

"Did you come to me for validation? A solution to the problem?" 

 

"No, I came to you as someone who wouldn't find me lacking, in spite of

the past. I learned a lot about you during the time we spent looking for

Summer. I know you care for Walter. I know no matter what happens, you'll

be there for him." 

 

"What do you want to do about him?" 

 

"I want to take him to bed and rock his universe." 

 

"But what comes after that, Alex? He's not a one night stand kind of

guy." 

 

"After that depends on how much he's willing to bend, on what he wants to

give me." 

 

"I think he wants to give you the world, but he can't hurt the innocents

you bring to the equation." 

 

"I can't undo that." 

 

"No, you can't. Be sure of what you want. And be prepared to deal with

the consequences should Summer find out. She'll be doubly hurt to find out

that you've lied to her from the beginning." 

 

"I can't lose my children. I never expected to have any, but now that I

do, I can't envision life without them." 

 

There was nothing for Mulder to say to that. This was a completely

different man than the one he thought he knew just a few months ago. They

finished the coffee and Alex rose to his feet. 

 

"Thank you for listening." 

 

"Good luck, Alex." Mulder extended his hand and Alex just stared at it

for a long moment before he reached out to shake it. 

 

Alex drove home with a new plan formulating in his mind. Walter had been

aroused the night before. Maybe if Alex showed him how good it could be

for them, Walter could settle for his heart full time and his body part

time. He knew he was being selfish, but he couldn't stop himself. 

 

Walter opened the door to his condo, smelled corned beef cooking; the

stereo was on, playing something classical, turned up just loud enough to

be background. 

 

Alex stepped out of the kitchen with dishes in his hand and smiled when

he saw Walter, "Want a beer?" 

 

"What the hell are you doing here?" 

 

"Kelly was getting on my nerves, so I told Summer I was coming over here

to watch sports and have manly bonding time with you. Just figured I'd

cook us dinner while I waited. Did you have a good afternoon with the

Dynamic Duo?" 

 

"I don't think Scully would be amused to be compared to Robin." 

 

"Ah, but she has the right hair color to be one. And you're assuming I'm

casting Mulder as Batman." 

 

"Scully is too short to be Batman. And yes, I will take a beer." 

 

Alex had set the table as they bantered and now he turned toward the

kitchen. 

 

"Have a seat and relax. I'll bring it out to you." 

 

Walter wandered over to sit, for some reason heading to the sofa instead

of his favorite chair. Alex smiled when he returned, two icy cold bottles

in his hand. He held one out to Walter and then dropped down to sit next

to him. 

 

"This is very domestic, Alex." 

 

"You deserve to be spoiled a little. Besides, I remembered that you love

corned beef. I hope the New England boiled dinner recipe I got off the net

tastes as good as it sounded." 

 

"You're cooking all the vegetables too?" 

 

"Of course, I know the way to a man's heart." 

 

"Where are your pearls?" 

 

Alex laughed, then leaned toward Walter and brushed his lips lightly. "I

only wear them when I vacuum, silly." 

 

Walter sank back, took a long swallow of beer; Alex reached for the

remote and handed it to Walter. It seemed natural to turn off the music

and flip channels until they came across something they both would enjoy. 

 

When the kitchen timer went off, Walter helped Alex bring in the grocery.

They talked quietly over dinner, about everything except the subject most

on their minds. Afterwards, the clean up was shared, and they again

settled together on the sofa to watch TV. 

 

When Alex shifted, Walter put his arm around him. When green eyes looked

into his with an unspoken request, Walter replied with a kiss. It wasn't

long before Walter was lying back with Alex covering him as they kissed

and rubbed against each other. 

 

Alex pulled up to smile at Walter; "Can we take this upstairs?" 

 

"Okay." 

 

Walter was too turned on to say no. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a

little voice was saying Alex was giving him a night to remember, one night

and then back to his family. And as much as that thought hurt, Walter

wanted the memory. 

 

He followed Alex up the steps; the bed was already turned down, and a

towel was spread out on the night table with a new container of Wet and

bunch of condoms lying on it. Walter looked at Alex, finding a soft smile

waiting for him. 

 

"Pretty sure of yourself." 

 

"Not really, I figured if you didn't use them with me, then you might

with someone else. I just hoped it would be me." 

 

Walter reached for the hem of his shirt and Alex stood still as the broad

chest came into view. Walter dropped the shirt, moved to stand in front of

Alex. "Need any help?" 

 

"Hell, no!" 

 

Alex was stripped down before Walter finished taking off his shoes. The

bed creaked as they fell onto it together. Alex pushed Walter onto his

back and began exploring. He lingered over Walter's nipples, until big

hands grabbed his head and pulled him up for a kiss. 

 

When the kiss ended, Alex continued his trip down Walter's body. A belly

button was tongued and nipped at, then the mouth moved farther down,

ignoring the generous erection waving hello. Alex hovered over the scar on

Walter's leg. He kissed it gently, then outlined it with his tongue,

lastly he traced it with gentle fingers. 

 

Raising his head, he saw Walter watching him. "Sit up, Walter. I want to

touch as much of you as I can." 

 

Walter positioned himself against the pillows as Alex reached for a

condom. He looked down at it, then back at Walter. 

 

"I'm clean, Walter. If you tell me you are, I'll believe you. I'd rather

have no barriers between us if that's what you want, too." 

 

The sound that Walter emitted was somewhere between a sigh and a whine.

His big hand grabbed the condom and threw it across the room. Alex's smile

was incandescent. He picked up the lube and poured a generous portion onto

his hand. Slowly, he coated Walter's dick, then reached behind to rub the

extra along his opening. 

 

Walter's hands steadied him as he straddled the strong thighs. As Walter

held his cock, Alex worked himself onto it. When he finally was sitting

flush in Walter's lap, they shared another kiss. 

 

"You're so tight, Alex." 

 

"Too tight?" 

 

"No, it feels wonderful." 

 

"I love you, Walter." 

 

"I love you." 

 

Alex lifted up then and dropped hard on the intrusion, a low moan

slipping from his lips. Walter's hands gripped him and he bent to pull on

a nipple, biting it gently until Alex's reaction let him know he could get

rougher. 

 

Soon they were making the bed rock, and Alex's movements on Walter became

frantic. Walter arched up into Alex as Alex left a deep bruise on his

throat. 

 

Jerking his head back to look at Walter, he hissed. "Touch me. Make me

come for you." 

 

Walter's hand surrounded his cock, pumping it in time to Alex's movements

on his. "That's it, beautiful. Ride me, make us both explode." 

 

"Ohgodohgodohgod, now Walter! Come now!" 

 

Walter's used his feet and pushed up as he pulled down with the hand on

Alex's hip. His other hand pulled harder than before, and Alex's back

arched as he screamed, "Walter!" 

 

A small smile appeared on Walter's face before his own climax hit, he

latched on to a nipple and bit hard as he flooded Alex's ass with semen.

Alex dropped his head onto Walter's shoulder and they panted together. 

 

"My fantasies were never that good." Walter said into the ear next to his

cheek. 

 

Alex's lips touched him sweetly on the mark he'd left, then he nodded his

agreement. When their breathing slowed and Walter's dick softened and

slipped from Alex's body they took a quick shower and then returned to the

bed. 

 

Walter had always enjoyed making out and it was a pleasant surprise to

find out that Alex obviously liked it as well. They spent a couple of

hours just kissing, touching, keeping each other on the edge of desire.

When Alex wiggled down to suck Walter, he intervened. 

 

"Turn around, Alex. I want to taste, too." 

 

Alex hastened to turn around. He groaned around his mouthful of flesh as

Walter deep throated him. It soon became something of a competition, each

man attempting to make the other one come first. Walter won by proving

that he was very talented with his fingers as well as his tongue. 

 

The distraction was so intense that Alex went slack jawed at his end of

the bed. But Walter had a solution for that as well. As soon as he'd drunk

down every drop offered, he pushed Alex onto his back and knelt over him.

Alex tried to focus, but he was still floating somewhere near the ceiling.

 

 

When Alex became aware, Walter was pumping slowly in and out of his

mouth, shallow thrusts to give Alex plenty of room for oxygen. When Alex's

eyes cleared, Walter smiled, "Ready, boy?" 

 

He nodded as much as he could with his mouth so full. Walter bent forward

to place his hands on the bed. Alex sighed as his mouth was fucked. He

worked his tongue, hummed, and swallowed. All the things he liked to feel

when he was blown. If the sounds above him were to be believed, Walter

liked them as well. 

 

"I'm close, Alex. So close." Walter's voice was harsh with the strain of

holding back. 

 

Pulling back, he looked down to watch as Alex tongued the slit. "God!"

Alex grinned as the first spurt pushed against his tongue. Walter pushed

back in, Alex swallowed until Walter whimpered and pulled back. 

 

Lying next to Alex, he pulled him close and they mingled tastes with long

deep kisses. After a while, Walter drifted off to sleep. Sometime later,

he woke alone. Noticing that it was eleven, he assumed Alex had gone home

until he got up to go to the bathroom and tripped over Alex's boots. 

 

Entering the bathroom, Walter peed and went in search of a warm body. For

a big man, Walter was very quiet. He saw a leg hanging over the arm of his

chair and walked quietly up behind it. 

 

"I'm too drunk to drive, Summer. I'm going to sack out in Walter's

guestroom. I'll be home tomorrow after my hangover is gone. Love you, too.

Bye." 

 

If ice water had been thrown on Walter, it couldn't have been more of a

shock. For a few hours he'd forgotten that Alex wasn't his and never would

be. 

 

Alex stood up and turned around. His smile faltered and faded at the grim

expression on Walter's face. "Walter?" 

 

"You didn't have to lie to her. I understand you need to leave. I wasn't

expecting you still to be here." 

 

"I didn't want to leave. I want to sleep in your arms tonight." 

 

"You aren't mine. It was wonderful and I thank you, but it doesn't matter

if you leave now or tomorrow, you will be leaving. You belong with your

family. I could never compete with that, or ask you to give it up." 

 

Walter turned and jogged up the stairs. Alex followed, to find that

Walter was locked in the bathroom. 

 

"Walter, I'm not leaving until we talk about this." 

 

He heard the shower start. Walter had to run out of hot water eventually,

so Alex crawled into the bed and got comfortable. He was soundly asleep

when Walter finally came out. He stood for a long minute looking down at

the beautiful man in his bed. 

 

It wasn't going to hurt anymore to see him go tomorrow than it would

right then. So he turned off the lights and crawled into the bed. Alex

rolled over against him so Walter cuddled him close and went to sleep. 

 

Walter woke the next morning to the delicious feel of a hot tongue

probing his hole as his balls were held gently and his morning hard-on was

stroked. He raised his head and looked down to see Alex curled between his

legs, which were draped over Alex's shoulders. 

 

His movement must have alerted Alex, because the tongue left him, a head

rose and green eyes sparkled in the morning light. "Morning, Walter." 

 

"Who asked you to stop?" Walter growled in his best AD voice. 

 

He felt the warmth of Alex's breath over his cock as the chuckle rolled

out. But the head ducked immediately and the tongue went back to probing.

Walter kept as still as possible, he loved being rimmed and Alex seemed to

be as expert at that as he was at everything else they had done so far. 

 

When the sensation was becoming too much for him, he tugged on Alex's

hair. "Stop, I don't want to come that way." 

 

Alex squirmed up next to him and they shared a messy kiss. "How do you

want to come?" 

 

"With you inside me." 

 

Alex's eyes widened. Until that moment, he'd figured that sex between

them would consist of blowjobs and his being fucked. Never one to look too

closely into a gift horse's mouth, Alex reached for the lube. "Like last

night?" 

 

Walter didn't answer; he rolled onto his belly and spread his legs. Alex

trembled as he knelt between the strong thighs. He wouldn't be able to see

Walter's face very well, but he would be able to do full body touching. 

 

Alex smiled as Walter pulled his cheeks apart, giving him a good view of

his target. He positioned and pressed forward, feeling the give, as the

muscle let him past. Using short shallow thrusts, he continued to

penetrate deeper each time until he was buried to the hilt. 

 

Lying full length along Walter's back, he nuzzled at his throat. He

wanted to tell Walter how incredibly special he felt at that moment, to be

allowed inside Walter that way, but the words wouldn't come. Instead, he

began to move, long, slow strokes that emptied and filled his lover over

and over. 

 

One of Walter's hands reached back to rub Alex's hip as the other gripped

the bedpost tightly. Alex moved his hand up along Walter's arm, then

under, Walter gripped Alex's hand tightly. The dance played out languidly

as Alex pleasured Walter. 

 

Walter had only allowed one other man inside him, his first male lover.

The heartbreak of losing him had kept Walter from wanting to be that

vulnerable again, so he'd topped his lovers ever since, to feel more in

control. 

 

He was glad he'd trusted Alex. The sensations of being filled with Alex's

thick cock brought back the nights of stolen pleasure. As the need to come

started to build, Walter's voice made Alex shudder. 

 

"Harder, Alex, take me hard, make me come for you on your hard dick." 

 

If Alex had not been so close to coming himself, he might have commented

that Walter seemed hung up on hard, but at that moment Alex was quite fond

of the word himself. Grabbing both of Walter's wrists, holding them with

his hands at shoulder level, Alex used the leverage to give him power for

his thrusts. 

 

Walter's deep growls of encouragement, and Alex's grunts made music in

the air. Alex slammed in deep and moaned Walter's name as his cock emptied

inside. Working one leg underneath Walter's, he managed to get them on

their sides and their joined hands quickly brought Walter release. 

 

The two drifted off to sleep before Alex had even softened enough to

slide from Walter's body. When next they woke, they took a long shower,

then ate a huge breakfast. It was noon by then, and Alex knew he would

need to be going home or calling with another excuse. 

 

He glanced at his watch, and Walter spoke. 

 

"I know you need to get home to them. It was the best night of my life

and I thank you." 

 

"Walter, that sounds suspiciously like a kiss off." 

 

"I knew going in that it was going to be a one night stand, Alex. I'm

okay with that. Well...not okay, but I walked into it knowing that, so I

have no room to bitch. I won't cause problems, you have my word." 

 

"Mulder says you aren't the one night stand type." 

 

"When did you talk to Mulder about me?" 

 

Alex could see the steam shooting out his ears just like a cartoon. "Calm

down it wasn't like that. I told him I was in love with you. But he knew

that already. It was before he went out with you yesterday. Did he act any

differently?" 

 

"No." 

 

"Didn't think so and he won't. Walter, I don't want a one night stand." 

 

"You have a family, Alex. I'm a possessive man. I don't see how we can

have anything else. I don't want ever to hurt them." 

 

"I know all that. I don't love her. I love you. Can't we at least try?

You have my heart; isn't that what matters most?" 

 

"I don't think so. As important as your heart is, I don't think it can be

enough. Go home, Alex." 

 

Alex wanted to argue, but the look in Walter's eyes prevented that. So he

rose and moved to Walter's side. "This isn't over. Kiss me before I go." 

 

Walter stood and pulled Alex close. The kiss was long and deep, and when

he let go, Walter quickly turned his back. Alex allowed himself one last

caress of the marks he'd left on Walter's throat, before turning and

walking quickly out the door, closing it quietly behind him. 

 

Over the course of the next week he gave Walter some space, which was not

the wisest decision on his part. Walter took it to mean that he'd been

right in looking at their night together as a generous goodbye. Alex was

trying to come up with some way of making it all work, but try as he

might, he could only see pain, the only question was: whose pain. 

 

By the next Friday Alex was feeling frantic. He hadn't made love to

Summer, even though she had tried to initiate lovemaking. He used the

excuse that he was afraid of hurting her when she was so near to term. All

her arguments about still having almost two months to go had no effect. 

 

Now that he'd been with Walter, it felt wrong to be with her. In his eyes

it would have been a betrayal to them both. He didn't want to cheat on

Walter, and making love to Summer would have been a lie, since he didn't

love her that way. 

 

Friday afternoon, he went back to Walter's again with the ingredients to

make them a good dinner. He'd planned a stewm, so that if Walter were late

it wouldn't be ruined. When Walter got home at almost eight, Alex was

sitting on the sofa reading. 

 

"What are you doing here?" 

 

"Waiting for you. I'm starved, are you hungry?" Alex tried to keep his

voice light. 

 

"Alex, don't do this. Please." 

 

"I can't walk away from you. And I don't think you can walk away from me.

Let us have what we can. I don't know what to do yet, but I'll find a way

if you'll give me time." 

 

"What do you want from me?" 

 

"Just your love." 

 

Walter stood for a long moment then held out his arms. Alex went to him

and they kissed. 

 

After that, Fridays belonged to Walter. Summer never suspected the truth

of the situation. After all, she thought they were brothers. But after a

while she did get suspicious, and she started calling to check up on Alex.

Her lame excuses for calling were irritating. 

 

Walter tried to brush them off, but they bothered him, and Alex could

tell. So, finally, he had his first real fight with Summer, and told her

she should only call if she had an emergency. 

 

Things settled down, and for a while it seemed that Alex might get to

continue his life happily. Walter was not complaining, and Summer was

engrossed with the new baby. 

 

When little Anna was three months old, Alex resumed his work with a new

goal, to make the world safe for his children. He would be away for weeks

at a time, and when he came to Walter with information, he'd stay there

overnight before he went to see the children. 

 

Summer had become increasingly angry at the way their lives had turned.

She couldn't believe that Alex was being celibate and she was much too

young a woman to live her life that way. Alex was still as attentive as

ever to the children. 

 

It all came to a head one night when he came home. He had started

sleeping in the guestroom, another thing that they had argued over. Alex

was standing next to the dresser, having just showered; he dropped his

robe and bent over to pull a pair of shorts from the bottom drawer. 

 

Summer's gasp was loud and he swung around. Her eyes took in the marks on

his chest, the purple bruise high on his thigh, which was distinctly a

bite mark. He knew she'd seen the finger shaped bruises on his ass. Walter

had been especially anxious the night before. Of course he'd left plenty

of marks on Walter as well. 

 

"It's not a woman is it? Who is he? That Mulder guy?" 

 

"Mulder? Hell no! Scully would kill me if I touched Mulder. I'm sorry,

Summer. Really I am. I never wanted to hurt you." 

 

"Do you love him? At least tell me it isn't just about sex." 

 

"I love him. I've loved him a long time." 

 

"Why didn't you just come to me and tell me?" 

 

"I didn't want to hurt you. And I wanted to keep on being a part of my

children's life. I didn't want them calling anyone else Dad." 

 

"You have so little faith in me? Get out. Now!" 

 

"Summer, please, don't do this. I'm sorry I doubted you." 

 

"I need some time, Alex. Please go." 

 

"He told me I should tell you. He had more faith in your goodness than I

did. It was wrong of me to doubt you." 

 

"He's someone I know? Who is he?" Her voice was bordering on hysterical. 

 

Alex took a deep breath while stepping into his shorts. Might as well get

it all out now. At least there would be no more lies to get caught in, and

she could get all her anger out at once. 

 

"Walter isn't my brother. I told you he was because he was the only one

I'd trust to care for our children if something happened to us." 

 

"Walter! How could he even face me knowing he was - how long? How long

has it been going on, Alex? Have you exposed me to anything?" 

 

"He's clean and so am I. And even if we weren't, I haven't had sex with

you since I started having sex with him." 

 

"But you wanted him before that?" 

 

"Yes, I never expected to have him. I tried to love you the way you want,

Summer. Even before we had the children, I tried. I do love you as my

dearest friend. I know that's not enough." 

 

"How does Walter feel about this?" 

 

"Conflicted. He genuinely respects and loves you. And he would die for

our children. He's tried to send me away several times, but he loves me

too much." 

 

"I need some time to think, Alex. I'm going for a drive." 

 

She turned and walked out the door. Alex hurriedly finished dressing,

then went to find his children. Summer didn't come back that night, and by

morning he was getting frantic. 

 

Walter answered the phone when it rang the next morning. Sunday was

normally his day for doing things around the apartment and recuperating

from his time with Alex. So he hadn't expected to hear from his lover. 

 

"Walter, she's gone. She went out for a drive last night and hasn't come

back." 

 

Walter could hear Anna fussing in the background as the boys talked to

her. 

 

"Alex, go see to Anna. I'll be there as soon as I can." 

 

Walter hurried to change and was soon in his car. On the way over, he put

in a call to Mulder to have him put the Gunmen on it. When he reached the

house, the boys ran out to meet him. He ended up going into the house with

one on each hip. 

 

Alex was sitting at the kitchen table, a half-drunk cup of coffee next to

him as he offered Anna another spoonful of cereal. The blond head lifted

and she smiled at Walter. He set the boys down, bent to kiss Anna, noticed

the boy's partially consumed breakfast, and he took control. 

 

"Walt, Sasha, finish your breakfast. Alex, I'll finish feeding Anna, go

take a shower, you'll feel better." 

 

Alex nodded, he knew Walter wanted to know what was going on, but he also

knew they needed to talk about it privately. The children needed to have

as normal a schedule as possible. Walter squeezed Alex's arm as he moved

past him. 

 

Sitting down, he finished feeding Anna, talking to the boys in between

offering bites to her. He had just finished washing her face, when Alex

came back into the room. 

 

"Dad, may we go watch TV?" 

 

"For a little while." He watched as his sons left the room. 

 

"Alex, sit. I'll get you some coffee and you can tell me what's going

on." 

 

Alex took the chair next to his daughter. Walter poured them both a cup

of coffee and sat down across from his lover. Alex let out a small sigh,

then began to speak. 

 

"Summer knows about us." 

 

"What? How?" 

 

"I was in the guestroom, I'd just taken a shower. She walked in as I was

reaching in the dresser for shorts. She saw the bruises on my hips and

gasped. Then when I straightened and turned she saw all the other marks." 

 

"Alex, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be so rough with you." Walter ran his hand

over his baldhead as he took in the information. "But how does that work

into her knowing about us?" 

 

"She guessed I was seeing a man. Asked me if it was Mulder. I told her

the truth. I'm tired of putting you in second place." 

 

"Alex, you know that I believe the children have to come first." 

 

"They do in some things, not in all. Walter, the world is so uncertain.

Something could happen to you or me. I don't want to live a lie anymore." 

 

"I can't say I'm sorry she knows. It has been difficult playing the part

of brother since we became lovers. I'm just surprised she took off. I

would have expected her to throw you out." 

 

"I was totally honest with her, Walter, the way I should have been when

you let me into your life. I should have trusted her to be mature about

the children. I saw it in her eyes. But I also saw pain. I was wrong to

think she'd take them from me. She lost her own parents, and she'd never

want her children to be without theirs." 

 

Before Walter could answer his cell phone rang. 

 

"Skinner." 

 

"It's Mulder. Byers called, Summer's credit card was used to buy gas at a

station in Roanoke, and then she got a room just outside Knoxville. She

was still there as of five minutes ago. Do you want them to keep

watching?" 

 

"Hold on, Mulder. Alex, she's at a motel outside Knoxville. What do you

want to do?" 

 

"She's headed for Kelly's probably. Ask them to let us know when she

stops again." 

 

"Mulder, have them keep watching. Alex thinks she's on her way to a

friend's house." 

 

"Sir, may I ask what's going on?" 

 

"She found out that I'm not really Alex's brother." 

 

"Shit!" 

 

"Yes indeed." 

 

"Is he going after her?" 

 

"I don't know. The children are here, they have to be cared for." 

 

"She left the kids?" 

 

"Yeah, surprised me too. Listen, I'm going to go. We want to keep the

children to their normal schedule." 

 

"I imagine you have some talking to do as well. For what it's worth, Sir,

I think she'll come around." 

 

"Why would you think that?" 

 

"I'm a profiler, remember? I learned a lot about her when I was helping

him look for her." 

 

"I hope you're right." 

 

Walter disconnected the phone and looked at Alex. Alex reached for his

hand, the two sat quietly until Anna decided she'd been in the highchair

long enough. 

 

"Better give her a bath. Will you check on the boys?" 

 

"Of course, just give me a minute to call Kim." 

 

"Kim?" 

 

"I won't be going into work in the morning. If she knows that today,

she'll get in a little early to take care of things." 

 

"Let her have the afternoon off." 

 

"Already planning that." 

 

Alex smiled as he lifted his daughter from her chair. He kissed Walter on

the cheek as he left the room. Walter couldn't help but think how homey it

felt. Both men had relaxed a little knowing that Summer was obviously

safe, but at the same time far enough away that she couldn't walk in on

them. 

 

The day passed in quiet companionship. They played catch with the boys in

the yard, as Anna played quietly with her toys in her portable play yard

in the shade. Walter made a quick run home for clothes while Alex cooked

dinner for them. 

 

Mulder had called in the afternoon with the news that Summer had shopped

for clothes, passed through Tennessee and was in Georgia. Alex was sure

then that she was headed for Kelly's. That allowed him to relax even more.

 

 

It was not, however, enough to get Walter into his bed that night. "Alex,

I won't sleep with you under Summer's roof." 

 

"Walter, I didn't mean sex, I just want to sleep in your arms." 

 

"And if one of the boys came in? What would she think if they told her

'Dad and Uncle Walter slept together'? I know you feel she will accept

this, but if she thought we'd been together in her house with the children

witnessing it - Alex, her anger might get the best of her." 

 

"Can we at least make out a little on the couch?" 

 

"No." 

 

"You're strict." 

 

"I know, but I don't want to take chances." 

 

So Alex had to be content with a goodnight kiss. He slept in the bed he'd

once shared with Summer. And Walter slept in the guestroom. 

 

Alex had left a message on Kelly's answering machine saying that Summer

was on her way there and to please ask Summer to call him. He knew she'd

made it there, a short email confirmed that but no phone call was

forthcoming. He decided to give her the space she needed, thinking that

anything he might say at that point wouldn't help. Or worse, might give

her false hope. 

 

The children accepted Alex's explanation that Mom had gone to visit Aunt

Kelly. Dad and Uncle Walter kept them on their usual schedule, and it was

fun having Uncle Walter take them to school and pick them up. So, while

they missed their mother, they weren't really upset. 

 

It was mid-week when she called. Alex had gone into the study and shut

the door. Walter tried to hide his nerves as he waited. After a few

minutes Alex opened the door and called to the boys. He gave them the

phone and walked quickly over to Walter. 

 

"She says she'll be coming back on Friday. She wants me to move out, but

says I can see the children whenever I want. She even said it would be

fine for us to take them every other weekend." 

 

"Can you live with that? Alex, I'd be willing to walk away. Can't say it

wouldn't hurt, but I'll do it for you and them." 

 

"Walter, if I wanted things that way, I would have let you go. I love

you, you dummy." 

 

Walter's smile took Alex's breath away. "So, ah, can I move in with you?"

 

 

"Now who's the dummy?" 

 

"Dad, Mom wants to talk to you again." Alex hurried to take the phone. 

 

"I should be in Saturday afternoon. Please be prepared to sleep somewhere

else that night." 

 

"No problem. Summer, thank you." 

 

"I can't deprive my children of a good father, no matter how I feel about

the way things have gone with us. I'll see you Saturday." 

 

Walter left fairly early Saturdaymorning, his car loaded down with Alex's

things. They had loaded it during the night, having decided that Alex and

Summer together would tell the boys that Alex was moving out. 

 

He was surprised when Alex called him at lunchtime. 

 

"Walter, you have to get over here right away. Summer's been in an

accident and I need to get down there." 

 

Walter had never expected to hear Alex that frantic over Summer again. He

didn't waste time asking questions; he just headed for his car. 

 

Alex was pacing in the driveway when he pulled up. Walter was out of the

car almost before it stopped. 

 

"I have a flight in an hour. They said a truck broadsided her as she went

through an intersection. She was in surgery before they found her wallet

and tracked down the number. Walter, they wouldn't tell me how serious it

is." 

 

"Alex, breathe. I'll take care of everything here. I'll take you to the

airport." 

 

"Just take care of the kids, I can get there." 

 

Gripping Alex, forcing him to look at him, Walter spoke, "I'll drive you.

As upset as you are I don't trust your driving." 

 

Alex looked as though he wanted to argue, but he stopped himself. Walter

was right; he was very upset and he couldn't take chances. 

 

They loaded the children into Summer's SUV and headed for the airport.

With security as it was, Walter saw no reason to bother parking. He let

Alex out with a quick hug, then drove back home to wait for word. 

 

It was late evening when Alex called. The children had long been in bed

and Walter was on the verge of calling the hospital. 

 

"Walter, she's alive. But they don't know if she's going to make it. They

say the next few hours are critical. God, I hate fucking doctor lingo." 

 

"What did they have to do?" 

 

"They had to cut her out of the car. One of her legs was severed, they've

reattached it but the doctor says it won't really matter. Her spinal cord

was damaged. If she lives, she'll never walk again." 

 

Walter didn't need to fake his gasp of horror. The idea of that beautiful

woman being wheelchair bound was horrible. 

 

"Alex, I'm so sorry. Do you want me to get Scully or Kim to take care of

the kids and come there?" 

 

"Much as I want to say yes to that, I'm not going to. The boys know their

mother is hurt and I took off with barely a goodbye. They need the only

other adult they know and love with them. It'll be easier to deal with

this knowing you are taking care of them." 

 

"Alright, I love you, Alex. Call me when you know more." 

 

"I will, and thanks." 

 

"For what?" 

 

"Everything. Just everything." 

 

"Go try and get some rest." 

 

"I love you, Walter." 

 

Walter listened to the click and sighed. Why did this have to happen?

Summer didn't deserve this on top of everything else in her life. But

Walter made up his mind right then, that if this meant Alex staying with

her, he'd be happy for what they'd had, and let him go. 

 

It was two days before the doctors took her off the critical list.

Another two before she responded to her surroundings. Alex called him,

crying when she managed to focus on him and call him by name. Walter was

so glad to be able to tell the children that Mom was awake and they could

probably talk to her on the phone soon. 

 

After a week, they allowed a move to a convalescent hospital near her

home. Alex had come home after getting her settled and asked Walter to get

Scully or Kim to come over at the kid's bedtime. Walter had taken one look

into those green eyes and he knew Alex needed to renew their physical

bond. 

 

Once the children were settled for the night, Walter and Alex left them

with Kim and went to his condo. They'd barely made it through the door

before Alex was climbing him like a tree. They kissed until oxygen

depletion forced them to pull back. 

 

"I need you, Walter. I want you to fuck me so hard it hurts." 

 

Walter growled as he started toward the stairs. In the bedroom they made

fast work of getting naked. Alex climbed onto the bed facing the headboard

and held on. That was a good enough invitation for Walter. He slicked up,

plunged into his lover's ass to the hilt, and then bit him hard on the

shoulder. 

 

Alex whimpered, "Do me, fuck me up the ass." 

 

"Oh, don't worry I'm gonna fuck you alright. Gonna fuck you so hard you

forget your name." 

 

Walter pounded into Alex, hard and deep the way they both liked. His

teeth left deep imprints on the shoulders of his lover as he drove them

both toward climax. Alex could feel his balls drawing up and he begged

Walter to let him come. 

 

"Wanna come, Walter. Let me stroke it." 

 

"Not until I'm ready. Just take my cock, boy, until I'm ready. I'll

stroke you off when I want you to come." 

 

Alex moaned and dropped his head to rest next to his hands on the bed

frame. He loved the illusion of submitting to Walter, of being Walter's

boy, and he loved the dirty talk so much it was hard to hold out. But it

was only a couple of minutes and Walter drove in to him so hard, he was

airborne for a second. 

 

He could feel the heat flooding his ass as Walter came. Then a big fist

wrapped around him, jacking him hard. 

 

"Come, boy. Come for me now." 

 

Alex went off with a loud groan, pushing back onto the hardness still

deep in his ass, his muscles convulsing around Walter, milking him dry.

Walter lifted his hand and he and Alex licked it clean. Shifting back onto

the bed, Walter pulled Alex with him keeping them joined as they slowly

came down. 

 

Later, they took a long shower and sucked each other off before getting

dressed and going back to the house. 

 

A few days later, Kim buzzed him to say he had a phone call from Summer. 

 

"Summer, how are you feeling?" 

 

"Walter, will you come out here to see me after work?" 

 

"Of course, Summer. Do you need anything?" 

 

"I just need to talk to you." 

 

"Alright. I'll be there around six-thirty." 

 

"Good." 

 

The phone was disconnected before he could say more. He tried to keep

from wondering what she would say. If she wanted to cuss him, he'd stand

quietly and let her. She had every right to hate him. He stopped to buy

flowers and at exactly six-thirty, he was opening the door to her room. 

 

She looked even smaller in that big bed. His heart ached for her. She

looked at him, "Come in, Walter. Those are beautiful, but you didn't have

to buy me flowers." 

 

"I wanted to. Are you feeling better?" 

 

"I was hit by a truck, it's going to take a while." 

 

Her hand reached for the bed control and she was soon almost upright. He

placed the vase of flowers next to the roses he was sure Alex had brought

her. Pulling a chair near the bed, he sat...might as well get as

comfortable as he could. 

 

"I'm not going to yell at you. I need to say a couple of things and then

I have a request." 

 

"Go ahead." 

 

"If I'm honest with myself, part of me knew Alex didn't love me. I got

pregnant hoping that a child would bind us closer, and he would learn to

love me. That was a foolish idea. But I'm not sorry that I have his

children. They give me a tie to him that you will never have." 

 

She saw Walter grimace and reached out to touch his hand. "That wasn't

nice of me. Allow me a little bitchiness." 

 

"I deserve that and more." 

 

"Not really. He can't help it that he loves you. He loves me as well, in

a different way; it just wasn't the way I wanted. I have to accept that. I

really hate you both on some level for the months of deceiving me. Even

that, I'm beginning to understand." 

 

Walter nodded, having nothing to answer with. 

 

"You do love him?" 

 

"More than life." 

 

"And my children? Do you love them as well?" 

 

"I had hoped that was obvious." 

 

"I need to hear you say it." 

 

"I couldn't love them more if they were mine." 

 

"Good. Then I have a proposal to make to you." 

 

Alex met Walter at the door. Taking one look at him, he let the questions

die. Whatever it was, it wasn't bad. Walter looked too calm for it to have

been bad. Walter hung up his coat and pulled Alex into the living room. 

 

"Where are the children?" 

 

"The boys are watching a new movie, Anna is playing in her crib. What did

she say, Walter?" 

 

"You picked a very good woman to have children with." 

 

"I'm going to hit you if you don't get to the point." 

 

"We need to go house hunting. She wants us all to live together." 

 

"What?" 

 

"That's what she said. She knows she'll never be able to do for the

children as she used to. So she feels that the best solution for them is

for all of us to share a house. But to do that, it has to be a much bigger

house. As a matter of fact, I think it would be more practical to buy some

land and have one built." 

 

Walter reached over to push his lover's mouth closed. He smiled as he

waited for Alex to process the information. 

 

"What's the catch? There has to be a catch." 

 

"She did insist that we have to have a master suite on the other side of

the house from her room. Oh, and we have to lock the door when we have

sex. She realizes that the kids will figure it out someday, but she

doesn't want them to see us going at it." 

 

"I don't know what to say." 

 

"Say yes." 

 

"You didn't agree?" 

 

"I almost did, but you have a mind of your own, as you've made abundantly

clear to me on occasion, so I told her I would talk it over with you." 

 

"I have some land down near Savannah. Certainly, not commuting distance

for you." 

 

"I've got in my twenty, Alex." 

 

"You'd retire?" 

 

"To have a family with you? In a heartbeat. I'm sure I could find

something to do with three children in the house." 

 

"You'd really do that? No looking back?" 

 

"Alex, the lab is set up. It's turning out the vaccine. We, our families,

everyone we've worked with are immune. Someone has to rear the next

generation, who better than us? We can teach them to be diligent, to stay

strong. I'm never going higher at the bureau. I'm ready to have a life." 

 

"Then my land, if Summer is willing." 

 

"I don't think she'll care where, but we'll go see her and talk it over

tomorrow. I promised we'd bring the children in to see her." 

 

"That's good, the boys have been asking when they could see Mom." 

 

Walter pulled Alex close as he brought up the next topic. 

 

"Alex, I have a friend who's an architect. I bet we could research plans

on the net and get him to modify something we liked. I mean, we'll need to

make modifications to make it wheelchair friendly. He'd be the best man we

could get for the job, since he's spent a good portion of his career

helping disabled vets with their housing." 

 

"You probably know someone who lives in that area, too." 

 

"Well, as a matter of fact..." 

 

Alex yanked Walter's head down and kissed him. Then he pulled back, "Want

to go look at floor plans?" 

 

"Why don't you go sign in, your better at surfing than I am. I'll go get

us some lemonade or something to drink and check on the kids." 

 

By the time Walter was finished checking on everything and entered the

small den, the printer was spitting out plans. They spent the next hour

discussing the pros and cons of each, and narrowed it down to two. Walter

had Alex send the site info with the plan numbers to his friend, along

with a note Walter wrote telling him what he would need changed, and where

the house would be built. 

 

"We're going to be in deep shit if Summer doesn't like any of this." 

 

"Have faith, Alex. She made a big leap in faith today. The least we can

do is go with her." 

 

"I was so afraid, Walter. It seems like nothing in my life ever went the

way I wanted, so I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop." 

 

"I know, but it's your turn for good things. We're going to have a good

long life together." 

 

Walter was in the kitchen chopping up onions for his special spaghetti

sauce. Anna came bouncing into the room, humming a tune. 

 

"Hi, sweet cake, Mom sleeping?" 

 

"No, Ms. Fisher said it's bath time." 

 

"Okay, I'll go lend a hand. Will you get two cans of tomato sauce and a

big can of tomatoes from the pantry for me?" 

 

"Want me to open them?" At nine, Anna was the image of her mother. 

 

"No, I want you to go start your homework after you do that. Your Dad is

supposed to call from the grocery, tell him to add garlic bread to the

list. I was so busy in the garden that I forgot to set the bread machine."

 

 

Walter hurried through the house to Summer's room. Ms. Fisher came in

every day to tend to most of Summer's needs, but Walter or Alex always

carried her to the bath. He tapped on the door and waited, Summer called

out, "Come in." In the eight years they had lived under the same roof,

he'd never entered her room without knocking, except for the night she was

ill with what turned out to be pneumonia. 

 

Opening the door, he stepped into the room. "I hear that it's bath time."

 

 

"Yes. I told her I want a nice long soak." 

 

Walter slipped one hand under her legs and the other around her

shoulders. She wrapped her arms around his neck. She smiled at him as he

carried her toward the bathroom. 

 

"I always feel like I'm in a romance novel when you carry me this way." 

 

"Well, I think we'd need to find you something that shows off the

cleavage better than this robe. Don't all the covers of those books show

cleavage?" 

 

"Walter, are you a closet romance reader?" 

 

"Well, if they ever write one where the pirate carries off a bald former

marine, I might read that." 

 

She giggled merrily in his ear. He stopped by the tub and lowered her

slowly. When she was positioned, he dropped a kiss on her forehead and

left Ms. Fisher to remove the now wet robe. Alex would probably be home in

time to get her out. 

 

Walter headed back to the kitchen to work on dinner. He'd just added the

tomatoes to the pot when the door banged open and the boys came in,

laughing together. Walt walked straight to the fridge as, Lex he no longer

wanted to be called Sasha, thought it was too girly sounding came over and

kissed Walter on the cheek. 

 

"Spaghetti? Great." 

 

"I know you have a game tomorrow so you need carbs. How was practice?" 

 

"Joey sprained his finger, and Walt managed to make an idiot of himself

in front of the cheerleader he's crushing on." 

 

"Shut up, Lex." 

 

"Homework?" 

 

"Tons." 

 

"Then get to it." 

 

Walt pitched a bottle of juice to his brother and they both headed for

the den. 

 

The next night, Walter walked confidently through the crowd with Summer

in his arms. She didn't want to sit down at ground level, so they always

parked her wheelchair down in front of the bleachers and Walter or Alex

carried her up the steps. He always took her to the very top, so that even

if people stood up during the game, she'd still have a good view. 

 

The boys were playing well, the almost psychic bond that twins often have

worked well for them on the playing field. Walt had the size to block just

about any player, and Lex could run like the wind. Summer sometimes joked

that they were actually Walter and Alex's children; she had just carried

them around for nine months. The first time that she'd said that, Walter

had left the room, afraid he'd bawl like a baby. That was the day he knew

she had truly accepted him. 

 

Alex and Anna had gone down to get drinks during halftime. Walter tucked

the blanket more firmly around Summer as they watched the band. When the

band paused, she leaned over toward him. 

 

"Our children are growing up, Walter." 

 

"Yes, they are, much too quickly." 

 

"I've been thinking." 

 

"Uh oh." 

 

"Stop that." She smacked his arm lightly. 

 

"What have you been thinking?" 

 

"Kelly would be a surrogate if you want to have a child of your own. It

would be nice to have a baby in the house again." 

 

Walter was stunned. Before he could come up with an answer, Alex and Anna

returned with hot chocolate. Walter didn't even see the rest of the game;

he was too shocked. Obviously Summer had thought about this a lot if she'd

asked Kelly. 

 

His first thought was that he was too old to be having a child. His

second was that he was healthy as a horse and if something happened to

him, Alex would care for his child as he had helped care for Alex's. 

 

Later that night, as Alex snuggled up to him, he was so distracted Alex

finally sat up and turned on the light. 

 

"Okay, spill it." 

 

"What?" 

 

"I just used my best line on you. The one that has never failed to get me

ravished and you didn't even grunt. Tell me what's wrong." 

 

"Nothing's wrong." 

 

"Then something is on your mind and I want to know what's keeping me from

being held down and fucked." 

 

"Summer said the weirdest thing to me at halftime." 

 

Alex looked at him, all joking gone. "What did she say?" 

 

"She said Kelly would be a surrogate if I wanted to father a child." 

 

"What? She said what? I don't think I heard that correctly." 

 

"Alex, don't joke." 

 

Alex moved closer and wrapped an arm around Walter, kissing him deeply. 

 

"How do you feel about it?" 

 

"I'm not sure. I'm kind of old to be having a baby. I had all the joy of

watching Anna from the time she was born." 

 

"Yes, you did. But that isn't quite the same." 

 

"How would you feel if I did that?" 

 

"I would love helping you raise your son or daughter. Summer must like

the idea or she wouldn't have brought it up. The kids wouldn't mind a baby

in the house." 

 

"It's not a decision I can make in one night. Now, did I hear someone say

his ass needed reaming?" 

 

"I guess the little head was listening." 

 

Epilogue: 

 

Alex watched as the nurse placed Walter's son in his arms. He'd never

seen Walter look happier. And he'd never taken an entire roll of pictures

in such a short period of time. When they took the baby off to be cleaned

up and checked out, Walter leaned down and kissed Kelly on the forehead. 

 

"Thank you." 

 

She grinned up at him, "You're welcome, but if you want any more, find

another surrogate." 

 

He chuckled, "That's a deal." One more kiss and they left the room. 

 

Alex walked with Walter toward the nursery, smiled when Walter reached

for his hand. They stood outside the window watching as the doctor gave

their son his first exam. The doctor turned and gave them a thumbs up and

the little remaining tension in Walter seeped away. 

 

"They'll be asking for his name soon." 

 

"Yeah." 

 

"Well, you've kept me in suspense long enough, Walter." 

 

"I wanted a Russian middle name since our other children have them. I

decided to take your suggestion and use my grandfather's middle name

Vladimir." 

 

"And his first name?" 

 

"An alternate form of your name, Alastair. It's also a nod to his

mother's Irish heritage." 

 

"Alastair Vladimir Skinner. I see a nickname in this child's future." 

 

"He can use just Al when he starts school if he wants." 

 

"He might want to go with Vlad." 

 

The nurse brought the baby out to them. Walter took him and kissed his

small head. 

 

"Welcome to the world, Alastair Vladimir Skinner. Meet your other Dad." 

 

He held the baby out and Alex took him carefully into his arms. "Hello,

Vlad. You and I are going to get along beautifully." 

 

For all of his life, he would only answer to Vlad. Any other name would

be ignored. 

 

The End 

 

Yes, Amazon, Vlad is a nod to Compromised.


	2. Christmas in Savannah

The day was bright, and Walter was pacing impatiently on the front porch. It had been a month since he'd seen his family and he could hardly wait. The truck with the furniture had arrived the day before; he'd followed the diagrams that Summer sent for setting up her room and the common rooms. 

 

Alex had sent no such document, so Walter had arranged their room the way that he wanted. As he'd put the new sheets on the bed, all he could think of was having Alex next to him again soon. 

 

The last month had been spent living out of a suitcase at a local motel as he oversaw the finishing touches on the new house. Alex and Summer hadn't felt that was necessary, but he'd wanted their home to be as perfect as possible. He'd been so picky that he was sure the contractor and his men would never do any other work for him.

 

The land that Alex owned was beautiful; little work was needed to make it ready for the house. Walter's friend had designed a wonderful house for them, large, wheelchair-friendly, and they had room for the growth of the children. They had all been happy that the weather had been good and the house was finished in time for them to have Christmas there. 

 

He smiled as he saw the van turning into the long driveway. Summer waved when she saw him. Alex grinned, and he could see the boys waving madly at him from the back seat. He jogged along the walkway and met them as soon as the van came to a halt. 

 

Alex climbed out and hugged Walter tightly. They kissed lightly and then broke apart. Walter moved around to the back and got out Summer's chair as Alex helped the boys get their seatbelts off. Once Walter had Summer in the smaller chair that they used for trips, he reached inside to get Anna out of her car seat. 

 

"Walter, I hope you have coffee ready." Summer said to him as he placed Anna in her lap.

 

Alex followed the boys as they ran on ahead.

 

"I put it on when you called."

 

"I can hardly wait to see the house."

 

"I sent pictures."

 

"That's just not the same, Walter." 

 

"I followed your diagram, so I think you'll be pleased with everything."

 

He pushed her up the ramp and into her new home. He stopped to show her Anna's room, since it was the first one they came to. He could hear the boy's excited voices from farther down the hallway as they saw the bedrooms that they would sleep in. Alex and Walter figured that the two would end up sleeping in the same room for a while.

 

Rolling Summer down the hall, he opened the door to her room with a flourish and watched as she took it in. She had picked out the wallpaper, paint colors and furnishings on the web and everything had been set up per her instructions. 

 

The bed was positioned so that when it was raised she could look out at the world if her curtains were open. Walter had arranged for remote powered blinds on the smaller window so that she could open them from the bed. The bed itself was the best on the market. It had all the advantages of a hospital bed but didn't look like one. 

 

She tilted her head and smiled, "You did an excellent job, Walter. I'm going to be very comfortable here. Now let's see the rest."

 

He gave her the grand tour and watched as the boys ran around inspecting everything. Summer commented on various things as they took the tour, including the big pine tree in the corner waiting to be trimmed. 

 

"Wow, Walter, don't you think that's a little big?"

 

Alex grinned at her as Walter blushed. "It was the nicest one on the lot. I wanted our first Christmas as a family to be special."

 

Alex slipped his arm around Walter and kissed his cheek. "It will be. We'll decorate it after dinner tonight."

 

"If you guys don't mind, I'd like to take a nap." Summer told them as she turned her chair toward her room.

 

Alex looked at the boys as they ran out onto the deck. Anna, who'd crawled out of her mom's lap as soon as they reached the family room, followed after her brothers. "I'll go get Summer settled, Walter."

 

"Okay, I'll keep an eye on the kids." Walter bent and scooped up Anna as he headed toward the door the boys had gone out. 

 

Walter was cooing softly to Anna as he watched the boys play on the lawn, when Alex came up behind him. Alex hugged him from behind, and patted his daughter's back.

 

"So, I took a quick look at our room. I like the way you arranged everything. I'm glad you put the bed between the windows."

 

"I know you like fresh air at night."

 

"Tonight I think I'll be more concerned with reacquainting myself with my lover."

 

"I like the sound of that. Summer comfortable?"

 

"She was very tired. I don't think she slept well last night. Motels aren't the most comfortable even when you can get around easily."

 

"I planned her favorites for dinner tonight."

 

"You know, if you keep spoiling her I'm going to get jealous."

 

"Alex, I don't want her to regret her decision."

 

"She won't, Walter. You worry too much."

 

The afternoon passed with the men taking care of the children and Walter cooking dinner. They used the formal dining room and the good china. Then after dinner Alex cleaned the kitchen as Walter supervised bath time. 

 

Then they gathered in the family room to decorate the tree. Anna was fascinated with the boxes of ornaments and the strings of lights. Summer laughed as Walter untangled Anna and kissed the small girl's nose. 

 

When the lights were finally turned on, the fire was lit and the other lights lowered, the family sat together as Walter read The Night Before Christmas. A new tradition was born.

 

When the children were down for the night, the adults sat in front of the fireplace with drinks and talked. When Summer started to bed, Walter kissed her cheek and she smiled at him. "Thank you for making sure our new home is perfect."

 

"You deserve it."

 

"Night."

 

Alex followed Summer to make sure she was comfortable and had everything she needed within reach. Walter double checked the doors, put out the children's gifts and turned out lights. Then he went into his room and began undressing for bed. As he pushed down his pants a low whistle came from behind him.

 

"Hey, good lookin'."

 

Walter turned, opened his arms and Alex filled them. They kissed hungrily; a month apart had been difficult. Phone sex was fun but just not as fulfilling as the exchange of bodily fluids the two normally managed on a regular basis. 

 

Walter allowed Alex to push him back on the bed. He watched as Alex peeled off his clothing slowly. A sexy smile adorned Alex's face as he watched his lover's cock rise. Finally, Walter growled; jumping to his feet he grabbed Alex and pulled him down onto the bed. 

 

Alex chuckled right up until Walter's tongue entered his mouth. The kiss was wet and messy, just what they both needed. They rubbed against each other, enjoying the feel of skin on skin. When Alex pulled back. Walter tried to follow.

 

"Walter, I need to breathe."

 

 

"It's vastly overrated."

 

"Maybe, but if you don't want to fuck an unconscious man, you should let me have a little air."

 

"I've missed you, Alex."

 

Alex caressed Walter's cheek, "Me too. But it was probably harder for you. I had the kids for distraction."

 

"Days weren't so bad. It was the nights. I can't believe how quickly I've gotten used to having a family."

 

"That explains the nesting behavior tonight."

 

"Nesting? Oh, you are *so* going to pay for that." 

 

Walter rolled Alex over and pressed him down against the mattress. 

 

"Do me." Alex groaned.

 

Walter pushed Alex's legs apart and ground down against him as he nipped at a nipple. Alex arched up in encouragement, "Bite me."

 

Walter's teeth closed on the nipple and he pulled until Alex yelped. "Fuck!"

 

"Soon."

 

The kissing and biting resumed; Alex's moans escalated as the need grew. Their bodies slipped and slid on the film of sweat that covered their bodies, the smell of man heavy in the air, harsh panting echoing off the walls. Alex began to whimper and Walter knew he needed to give his lover release.

 

Pulling away, he reached for the lube. Slapping enough on his cock to let him slide easily, he lifted Alex's legs to rest on his shoulders. The sigh that came from Alex as Walter entered him brought a smirk to Walter's lips.

 

"This what you want?"

 

"You know it is, now do it."

 

Walter didn't need any more encouragement. Setting a hard pace, he rocked the bed. Alex flexed around him and reached down to stroke his own cock, matching Walter's pace. It didn't take long before they came, almost simultaneously. 

 

Walter let Alex's legs drop and reached for the hand towel he'd put by the bed earlier. Pulling out slowly, he wiped them both off and then rolled to the side. Taking Alex's hand, he waited for them to calm before reaching for the blankets. Alex rolled toward him, throwing his leg across Walter's and went to sleep. 

 

They woke the next morning to the sound of two boys yelling that Santa had come. Quickly pulling on the pj's Walter had left out for them, the two men exited their room. 

 

"Boys, don't start until Mom is here to see you."

 

"Yes, dad."

 

"Walter, will you get Anna and I'll help Summer?"

 

"Sure." 

 

The boys were bouncing impatiently when Alex came back carrying Summer. Walter wasn't far behind. He sat in a chair with Anna as Summer and Alex sat on the floor with the boys. Anna was given a package, which she immediately put in her mouth. Walter gently pulled it away and showed her how to open it.

 

All too soon there was a big pile of discarded paper and the boys were playing happily with their new toys. Summer reached out for Anna and the little girl went to her mom. 

 

Walter went to start the coffee and brought back juice for the kids and mimosas for the grown-ups. The day passed quietly; Walter and Alex prepared Christmas dinner together. At the end of the day the three of them ended up by the fire again.

 

Summer raised her glass to them, "Here's to our first Christmas in our new home. May they all be as sweet."

 

Walter smiled as he clicked glasses with her then with Alex. A small sip of wine and then Alex spoke, "To our family, and to the best woman on the planet." 

 

They sipped again before Walter took his turn, "Here’s to the man I love, the woman I'm learning to love, and the beautiful children they made together. To family."

 

This time they drained the glasses and Summer glared at them, "If you throw my crystal in the fireplace I'll shoot you."

 

The two men burst into laughter, as Summer grinned. Alex leaned over and kissed one of her cheeks as Walter kissed the other. 

 

They still had hurdles to clear, but for this night all was right with the world. 

 

The end.


	3. Second Family

The phone started to ring and Walter reached over to grab it. 

 

"Hello."

 

"Walter, it's time."

 

"I'll meet you at the hospital."

 

Walter scrambled from the bed as Alex cracked open an eye to look at him. Alex hadn't heard the call he'd woken because his pillow had dumped him on the bed.

 

"Walter?"

 

"Kim called, it's time."

 

"Shit!"

 

Alex scrambled from the bed and began to dress. Walter was already dressed and pulling on his socks. Walter left Alex to finish dressing as he went to leave a note for the older boys. 

 

The two men were about to leave when Summer rolled into the hallway. "I take it the call was from Kim?"

 

"Yes, you should go back to bed. The boys can handle everything until Ms. Fisher gets here."

 

"I'll just go into Vlad's room in case he wakes."

 

"He sleeps like a rock, Summer."

 

"Walter, I know he normally does, but it would be our luck that this time he doesn't. I can always nap when the boys get up. Now scoot, I can hardly wait for you to bring home another baby."

 

Alex grinned and bent to place a kiss on her cheek. Then he followed Walter to the garage. Walter drove at the speed limit to the hospital. They headed directly to the maternity floor. Walter asked for Kim and they were directed to her room.

 

Walter moved quickly to the bed and took her hand. "How are you?"

 

"Fine, Walter. The pains are still about fifteen minutes apart. It's going to be a while. Hello, Alex."

 

"Hi, Kim. Where's Doggett?"

 

"He went to get coffee. Said he couldn't get through without it. Did you guys get coffee before you left home?"

 

"No, Walter was in too big a hurry to get to you."

 

"Hey, she's going through this for me the least I can do is be here to support her."

 

"No argument, Walter. But I do need coffee. I'll get some for you."

 

The door opened before he finished. John smiled when he saw the other men.

 

"You made good time. Here, I brought you both coffee, figured you'd need it as much as I do."

 

The three men took seats, Walter beside the bed, Alex and Doggett on the small sofa across the room. They had chosen that hospital because of the nice labor rooms that were designed to allow family members to be with the mother during the hours before delivery. 

 

When Kim grimaced with the next contraction, Walter held her hand. The three men talked to her as the time passed, hoping to distract her. Walter was up and down as the labor became heavier. He rubbed a damp cloth over her face as she perspired. When she was dry mouthed, he gave her small amounts of crushed ice. 

 

When the time came to move her to the delivery room, Doggett kissed her and went to the waiting room. Walter and Alex donned the scrubs so that they could enter the room with her. As the pains came faster the two of them held her hands and supported her as she strained to bring Walter's child into the world.

 

"One more, Kim. You're doing great."

 

The next contraction hit, she rose, Walter held her, whispering words of encouragement to her. Alex grinned at his lover as he held her from the other side. She grunted as she pushed. 

 

"That's it, Kim. Relax." The doctor placed the baby girl on Kim's stomach while he tied off the cord, holding out the scissors to Walter to cut the cord. Walter's hand trembled so much that Alex reached out to steady him.

 

"She's beautiful, Kim." 

 

Kim lifted her head to look at the child as Walter's big thumb caressed his daughter's cheek. She smiled at the abundant hair on the small head. Then she looked up at Walter. He had tears in his eyes. Turning to look at Alex she saw the sappy grin on his face and felt once more that she'd done a good thing. 

 

The baby was taken to be examined, Walter bent to kiss her before he and Alex left the room. They went to find Doggett to let him know it was over. He was sleeping in a chair and Walter touched him on the shoulder. 

 

"All over?"

 

"Yes, she's beautiful. I think she has Kim's hair."

 

"Can I see her?"

 

"They said they'd come let us know when she is in her room. We're going down to the nursery."

 

"I'll see you in Kim's room later, then."

 

"Don't you want to see the baby?"

 

"After I see my wife, they'll let you feed the baby in Kim's room, I'll see her then."

 

"John, thank you. I don't think I've remembered to say that to you."

 

"Walter, Kim is still very much her own woman. She wanted to do this for you and I'd back her in anything she wanted to do. Besides, this child will have one of the most loving fathers on the planet."

 

"I still want to you to know how much it means to me."

 

"I do, I did from the beginning. Now go see the baby."

 

Alex smiled at Doggett and then followed Walter to the nursery. Vlad's doctor was examining the baby. She'd been cleaned up and now they could see that she had her mother's red hair. 

 

Alex leaned into Walter's body as they waited for the doctor to finish. "What are you going to call her, Walter?"

 

"I've been thinking of naming her for our mothers."

 

"Which way are you going? Keeping the tradition of the other kids?"

 

"Yeah."

 

"So…"

 

"Since Anna already has your mother's middle name, I thought we'd give her my mother's middle and your mothers first."

 

"Hester Galina or Galina Hester?"

 

"Either way she'll probably want to change it when she hits first grade." Walter grinned at Alex. 

 

Before Alex could answer, the door of the nursery opened and the doctor stepped out. "Walter, she's perfect. They're going to finish up the normal processes and then they'll bring her to you in Kim's room. You can take her home whenever you want."

 

"Thanks, Doctor."

 

Walter shook the doctor's hand and then the two of them went to find Kim's room. John was sitting on the bed next to her with his arms wrapped around her. They smiled up at Walter.

 

"The doctor says she's perfect. Now that she's all cleaned up, her hair is red like her mom's. Kim, I'm never going to be able to…"

 

"Stop right there. I wanted to do this for you. When you told me that you were looking for a surrogate, I couldn't let you chance doing it with someone who might turn around and change their mind." 

 

"It's incredibly generous, Kim."

 

"Alex, you two are raising great children. I love them all. Besides, I'll get to see her often." 

 

"The timing could have been a bit better." John spoke. 

 

"You should have proposed sooner." Kim told him with a sassy grin. 

 

John chuckled, "You'd still have wanted to do this for him."

 

Kim turned to John and kissed his cheek. Before anything else was said, the door opened and a nurse entered with the baby. 

 

"Who gets the honors?"

 

"Give her to her dad." Kim told her. 

 

The nurse started toward the bed and John. Shaking his head, he told her. "I'm the husband the bald guy is the father."

 

Then they all smiled, as she looked surprised. She didn't hesitate though, placing the baby in Walter's arms, she let Alex take the bottle. Alex pushed a chair closer to the bed and Walter sat down with his daughter. 

 

Alex perched on the arm of the chair as Walter offered the baby a bottle. Kim watched for a couple of minutes before her exhaustion caught up to her. John held her a little closer as he dozed off as well. As Walter burped the baby, Alex rubbed her back. 

 

"Two girls and three boys, Walter. Think that's going to be enough children for you?"

 

"Alex, I can't tell you how wonderful it is having a family with you."

 

"I know, but it's like two families with yours being so much younger than mine."

 

"That's not a problem is it?"

 

"Hey, you know it isn't. Or can't you tell by the way I spoil Vlad? When Hester is old enough to date I plan on cleaning my guns whenever a guy comes to get her."

 

"I'll sharpen the throwing blades while you clean the guns."

 

Alex bent to kiss his new daughter's head and then shared a kiss with his lover. A soft burp emerged and the two men shared a smile. Soon they would dress her and take her home but for a moment, they just shared the quiet time.

 

Family was the best thing in the world, especially when you had one with a man you loved. 

 

The end.


	4. Once More

For the last few months, Walter had barely left the house. Taking care of two infants was a full time job, one that he loved. Alex had taken over some of the things that Walter used to handle. Anna was such a little mother and the boys helped out so it was no real strain on any of them. 

 

Summer had bloomed with having babies in the house again. She was a natural mother, and being in that chair didn't stop her from helping to care for the babies. Vlad was learning to walk, and starting to actually make intelligible words. His father's and brothers were beginning to potty train him.

 

Hester was just learning to sit up and crawl. She was the joy of everyone's life. Vlad never seemed to feel slighted, why should he, there was always someone to pay attention when he needed or wanted something. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Alex stood as Summer rolled through the door that the nurse was holding open for her. He smiled and nodded as the nurse said hello. It was her yearly check up with the gynecologist. Alex always took her to her doctor's appointments. On the rare occasions that he was unavailable, Walter would cover. 

 

Summer hummed as Alex lifted her into the van. He stored her chair in the back and went around to climb in next to her.

 

"Everything okay?"

 

"Yeah, he says I'm doing fine, everything's in working order."

 

"That's great. Walter called and asked for us to pick up take out. Hester has been fussy today, so he didn't cook."

 

Normally, Anna could have started dinner and Alex would finish it up, but it was Wednesday and she had her dance class. Walt and Lex were at football practice so that meant that Walter had been home alone with the babies. 

 

They stopped at a drive through, bought burgers and fries. From there, they headed home. Walter was keeping one eye on Vlad as he rubbed a thumb over his daughter's sore gums. The boys and Anna came in right behind them. 

 

Summer rolled over to Walter and held out her arms. "Let me take her. You go eat with the kids and Alex."

 

"Thanks, Summer."

 

They all ate, then the older children went off to do homework. Walter took Vlad in to give him a bath. Coming back with his son, he sat on the sofa next to Alex relaxing back against him as Vlad tried to stay awake. Summer was still holding the now sleeping Hester.

 

Walter smiled at her, "You have such a good touch with her."

 

"Walter, my doctor says I'm healthy as a horse."

 

"That's good, Summer."

 

"You know that even though I can't use my legs, I can still do most of the things other women do."

 

Alex grinned at her knowing she was leading up to something. "We're very aware of that."

 

"Walter, how would you feel about having another baby, with me as the mother. Full mother, not surrogate."

 

Walter was dumbfounded. Alex nudged him lightly. Vlad patted his cheek wondering why Papa was no longer rubbing his back. 

 

"Summer, you gave him a meltdown."

 

Walter shifted Vlad over onto Alex's lap and moved to kneel in front of Summer. 

 

"Why?"

 

"Because I want another child. Because you make pretty babies."

 

"Hey!" Alex said in mock outrage.

 

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Our twins are going off to college next year. The three of us are great parents. I can see how happy you are as a father. I've heard you tell your brother that you'd like to have a houseful. I can't do that but I think I can do one more." 

 

"Did you ask your doctor about this?"

 

"I wouldn't have brought it up if I hadn't."

 

"I accept."

 

"Good, I should be fertile next week."

 

"You want to do it that soon?"

 

"Yes, that way the boys will have a chance to bond with the baby before they go off to college."

 

"Did you already make an appointment for next week?"

 

"Why don't you buy a new turkey baster?'

 

Alex sputtered and Vlad giggled along with his Da. Walter was once more speechless. 

 

"I don't want a doctor doing this. If you are uncomfortable, I'm sure Alex would do it for you."

 

"Of course, I will."

 

"If you aren't uncomfortable with me, I can do it myself."

 

"So, you'll go shopping in the morning?"

 

"Yes." Walter leaned toward her and kissed her. 

 

"Take Hester, please. I want to get to bed." 

 

Walter took his daughter and watched as Summer rolled from the room. He turned to find Alex smiling at him. 

 

"I don't have to ask if this is a problem for you, do I?" 

 

"You know how I love kids. And Summer makes pretty babies, too."

 

"I can't believe I'm doing this. I shouldn't be so greedy."

 

Alex lifted Vlad and followed as Walter carried Hester to the nursery. He changed her, placed her in her crib and then they settled Vlad in his. The two stood, Walter holding Alex as he sang the Russian lullaby that Vlad had heard every night of his life. When the boy slept, the two men went to their own room. 

 

After they made love, Walter whispered to his lover. "Been a long time since I touched a woman. You're going to help me produce the fluid for that baster right?"

 

"I helped the other times, didn't I?"

 

"God, I love you and the family you've helped me have."

 

Alex kissed the back of Walter's neck and the two men slept. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

Summer was lying comfortably in the center of Walter and Alex's bed. She hadn't thought it strange that Walter wanted his child conceived in the bed where he and his lover made love. 

 

During the time after the night, she'd made her offer; the three of them had discussed it. Alex had even told Walter privately that he would be okay with Walter doing it the old fashioned way if he and Summer wanted to do it that way. 

 

Walter had considered it, but in the end decided not to broach the subject to Summer. He and Alex had brought her into their room while the older kids were at school. Alex led Walter into the bathroom and stroked him until he filled a cup. Then they filled the baster.

 

Summer smiled at them when they came back into the room. Alex took a position on the bed and slipped his arms around her. Walter took a position between her legs. 

 

"Are you ready?" Walter asked, expecting her to change her mind.

 

"Yes, Walter, give me your child."

 

He moved forward, lifting one of her slender legs to lie over his thigh. Picking up a tube of lube, he put a small amount on his fingers, using it to make sure she was slick enough for the tube to slide easily. 

 

As he pushed into her, she made a small gasping sound. Walter froze. "Summer, are you okay?"

 

"Yes, It's just that I've only been touched there by the doctors for years and they are so clinical. It's nice to be touched again by someone who loves me."

 

"I wasn't sure you knew that."

 

"Walter, just because you don't say it to me doesn't mean I don't feel it."

 

He nodded and smiled at her. "Here goes." 

 

Keeping his fingers where they were he used then to guide the baster. Pushing forward, he then squeezed the bulb watching as his sperm was injected into her body. He turned the removal into a caress. 

 

Placing the baster aside, he moved up beside her. Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her chastely. The three of them stayed cuddled together for a couple of hours until Vlad woke up and made his way into the room. 

 

They repeated the procedure again the next day, just to double the chances. When she tested pregnant a few weeks later they celebrated. They waited until she was past the first trimester to tell the other children.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

Walter stood on one side, Alex on the other. Summer was sweaty and Walter didn't think she'd ever looked more beautiful. As the next contraction hit they lifted her part way and Walter spoke. "You're doing great, Summer. Almost there."

 

She let out a small squeak. And then they let her relax back as the baby was placed on her stomach. The doctor held out the scissors and Alex took them to cut the cord. Walter was touching Summer reverently. 

 

"She's as beautiful as her mother."

 

"I hope she is as kind and loving as her father."

 

The baby was cleaned up and examined while Summer was taken care of. An hour later, all of the family was gathered in Summer's private room when the baby was brought to them. 

 

Summer put the baby to her breast and the older kids turned a bit red in the face but that was the only sign of discomfort. Walter was sitting next to her, holding her. Alex was holding Vlad as Alice held Hester. 

 

"Mom, what are you naming her?" Walt asked.

 

"I want her to be named for her mother but Summer is being stubborn."

 

"Do you have any idea how much I was teased about being named for a season?"

 

"Maybe we should let the kids vote."

 

"I want to continue the tradition we have for middle names."

 

"Do you have one in mind?" Walter asked.

 

"Katerina."

 

"I like that. What do you kids think?"

 

"It's pretty." Anna told them.

 

The boys both nodded and Alex gave a thumbs up using Vlad's thumb, which made the small boy giggle. 

 

"That still leaves us needing a first name."

 

"I like Adoree. It means beloved." Summer told Walter.

 

"Another A name?" Walt asked.

 

"Do you have a suggestion?" She asked her first born.

 

"Electra, Calliope, Thais, Zella."

 

"You've thought on this, haven't you?" Alex said to him.

 

"We didn't get any input the other times so I wanted to offer suggestions this time." 

 

Walter leaned down and whispered in Summer's ear. She nodded as she pulled the now sleeping baby from her breast and covered up.

 

"Walt, come take your sister and we'll let you decide which one of your suggestions to use."

 

Walt moved to his mother's side and took the sleeping child from her. He kissed the tiny head. "Welcome to the world, Electra Katerina."

 

Walter and Alex shared a smile. It was obvious that Walt would one day make an excellent father.

 

The end.


	5. Go F*** Yourself

Walt and Lex had gone to different colleges. One going for a scientific career the other more toward an academic type. Walt had come home as soon as the session ended, Lex had opted to spend an extra couple of weeks to help a friend who was moving to an apartment off campus. 

 

Alex and Walter had been fussing over Walt since he'd returned. Walter making his favorites for dinner, Alex asking questions about how the first year of college had gone. Summer just smiled and enjoyed having her eldest home again. 

 

Alex was gone with Summer and the baby at the doctor's office; Anna was off at a friend's. The two youngest were napping and Walter was doing laundry. He'd just finished a load that was mostly the things Walt had brought home dirty. 

 

Walking down the hallway, he opened Walt's door. He hadn't heard anything from him in about an hour, so, he assumed that he was reading, napping or watching TV. Walter dropped the basket he was carrying, almost swallowed his tongue and then tried to tell himself he wasn't seeing what he so obviously was. 

 

Walt was lying naked in the center of his bed. Legs spread wide, both hands working. Now, Walter had caught both boys masturbating, but this was different. 

 

Walt had his cock twisted past his balls and was literally fucking himself with it and his fingers. Walter was mesmerized. He watched as Walt let it slip out and then used his fingers to push the head back in. 

 

Walt pressed it in and established a fairly smooth rhythm. Walter figured this couldn't be the first time Walt had done this; he was doing it too easily. It was damn erotic and Walter actually envied him the ability. 

 

The boy's breath caught and he moaned, pushing his cock in as far as possible. His hands relaxed and Walter watched as the spent dick slipped from the hole. A small trickle of come appeared to drip onto the bed. 

 

"Papa?" Walt sat up and pulled the sheet up over his body.

 

"I'm sorry, Walt. I shouldn't have watched."

 

"I remind you of Dad, don’t I?"

 

"Yeah, you are the image of him, but I've never seen him do that. Auto-fellatio once…"

 

"Papa!"

 

"It's not like you have no clue that your dad and I are lovers."

 

"I know. You've both been very open with us."

 

"When did you decide to try that?"

 

"I found out that I enjoy men, Papa. I've been trying to decide how to bring it up. I want to talk to you guys about it."

 

"You know we'll listen and discuss anything with you."

 

"I know. It's just that I spent all of high school chasing girls and…Shit! It isn't that I thought you wouldn't accept it. I know you're going to worry about me."

 

"You've met someone?"

 

"Yeah, he's special. I feel things with him that I never felt with a girl."

 

"You've had sex?"

 

"Yeah."

 

Walter smiled at the dreamy expression on Walt's face. 

 

"You've been careful."

 

"Of course, I'm not an idiot."

 

"I never said you were. Sometimes it just gets away from you when you're young and horny."

 

"He's older and he never lets us get that out of control. He even lectured me about it."

 

"How much older?" Walter asked concerned. 

 

"Not that much. I was hoping I could ask him to visit."

 

"I think your dad and I would like that. I know your mother will want to meet the guy who is fucking her baby boy."

 

"Ah shit."

 

"I'm going to start dinner. Get cleaned up and give him a call."

 

"Papa, will you let him sleep with me here?"

 

"As long as you don't disturb your mother."

 

"We'll be quiet."

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

Walter opened the door and gasped. Standing on his doorstep was a man who looked amazingly like Walter did when he was in college. 

 

"You must be Cyrus."

 

"And you have to be Papa Walter."

 

"Come in, Cyrus. Where's your bag."

 

"Despite what Walt said I wasn't sure that I'd really be welcome."

 

"Get the bag."

 

Cyrus ran back out to the car to get his bag. Walter watched him, seeing that the boy even moved a bit like he did. Cyrus came back with the bag and Walter led him to Walt's room. 

 

"Walt is at the movies with his mom, dad and Anna. They'll be back soon. Put your things away."

 

Walter was taking fresh bread from the bread machine when Cyrus came back from Walt's room. 

 

"Is that Walt's room you put me in."

 

"Yes, that's Walt's. To relieve you anxiety, we've given him permission for you to sleep together, just don't wake his mom and lock the door. I don't want the little ones wandering in on you."

 

"Yes, Sir."

 

The door down the hall opened and they heard Walt's voice. "Cyrus?"

 

Walt burst into the room and ran to Cyrus. Walter grinned as he lifted Cyrus off his feet in a tight hug. By the time Alex, Summer and Anna got into the room, they were on their third kiss. 

 

Alex loudly cleared his throat. The two boys broke apart and Walter grinned at the blush that traveled up both faces. Alex stepped across the room to hold out his hand. 

 

"Cyrus, I'm Walt's dad, Alex. This is his mother, Summer and his sister Anna."

 

"Pleased to meet you, Sir."

 

"It's good to meet you. Now maybe Walt will stop moping."

 

"Dad!"

 

Summer smiled at her son and then turned to Walter. "When will dinner be ready?"

 

"In about an hour."

 

"Walt, why don't you and Cyrus go to your room and get caught up on the last two weeks."

 

Walt blushed harder but he took Cyrus' hand and pulled him along, stopping by Summer's chair to kiss her.

 

One of the babies yelled and Anna headed to the nursery. The three parents exchanged grins before Summer turned to go help Anna if she needed it. Alex walked over to wrap his arms around Walter.

 

"Do you think he realizes he found a younger version of you to fall in love with?"

 

"I wasn't sure you'd see the resemblance."

 

"I've seen the family albums, remember?"

 

"Yeah." They shared a kiss and then started preparing dinner together.

 

The end.


End file.
